


It's Quiet Uptown

by NovelCarrington



Category: Chris Evans - Actor - Fandom, Real Person Fiction
Genre: F/M, Sequel to The Heart Won't Lie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 18:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 71,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10904751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovelCarrington/pseuds/NovelCarrington
Summary: Follow-up story to The Heart Won't LieMallory Turner has returned to Atlanta following the deaths of the parents and the revelation of her secret to Chris Evans.  She is working to rebuild the trust and relationship with Chris as they move toward revealing his role in the life of her son Henry. Can they find a way to make things work?  What happens when secrets are forced out before they are ready?





	1. Chapter 1

Mallory Turner had returned to Atlanta and was doing what she could to get back to a regular routine. Although, she wasn’t quite what ‘regular’ was any longer. Six months ago, it was coffee with her best friend, Darby, or taking her son Henry to school or to a museum. Six months ago, she was still disowned by her parents and the father of her son had no idea he existed. Everything changed when her parents died and she was forced to go back to Boston to confront the past. She had to play the part of the dutiful daughter and keep up the façade that all was well with her family. That was because Jackson and Madeline Turner never told anyone they had cast their pregnant, unwed daughter out of their lives twelve years earlier. She had to plan the funeral and figured she was handling the execution of their will, in which she would be shut out.

In the midst of dealing with the issues of her parents, she had to deal with the drama of Henry’s father. Mallory had loved him deeply, had been scared to tell him that she was pregnant but figured he would accept it. But her parents had convinced her that he wouldn’t want to know, he was going to be an actor, and he couldn’t support a family. Mallory was so brainwashed by her parents and had always been such a good girl that she believed them even though her heart told her otherwise. And when her parents cast her aside, telling her to get out, they told her not to tell Chris, just leave without a goodbye. So, that’s what she did.

She didn’t expect him to be in Boston. She definitely didn’t expect him to come to the funeral home to pay his respects when he heard about her parents. And she most definitely didn’t count on his mother coming to the funeral and seeing Henry and then jump to the conclusion that he was the child of Chris’s best friend. The tangled web, arguments, fist fight and the ultimate exposure of the truth were exhausting. She had to tell him the entire story, every sordid detail and he actually supported her. It took a while, he didn’t understand immediately. But he came to realize that she didn’t walk away from him because she didn’t love him; it was the opposite. She honestly thought she was doing what was best for him. Chris still felt betrayed on a certain level and Mallory understood that. But he was willing to move past it, he had a son, and he wanted to cultivate that relationship.

Chris Evans didn’t lead a normal life. He was one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood and a pillar of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That meant filming movies in far off locations and around-the-world press tours when the movie was released. It wasn’t like he would be home to coach his baseball team or tuck him into bed each night. It also wasn’t going to be easy to step in and begin parenting a child at age 12 when you didn’t get the practice of parenting from birth to this point. Chris was apprehensive, as was Mallory. She was worried about how Henry would accept the fact that his mother had been lying to him for the last twelve years. And she worried how he would handle the sudden insertion of a man who wanted to be a hands-on father.

The logistics were confusing and terrifying for them both. After much discussion, it was deemed best to ease into the role of a family. They would take it slow and introduce Chris to Henry as a family friend. It would allow Chris an opportunity to spend time with the two of them, acclimate himself with Henry, and begin to form a relationship. Henry could trust Chris and get used to him being around, especially since Chris and Mallory were going to rekindle their relationship. As the relationship advanced and Henry became comfortable with Chris, the truth could come out. Mallory had worked it out in her head; she was aware her plans could go awry very quickly. Her biggest fear was Henry turning against her, hating her for her deceit.

She hadn’t been prepared for the situation with Chris coming to a head and her mind was still reeling. Now she had to come face-to-face with the reading of the Will for her parents. She had already reconciled herself to the fact that her parents would not be leaving her anything. To her, this was just a legality to sit through with the family lawyer. The lawyer sat her in the conference room and at first, he sounded as if he was right in front of her. But as he spoke, and the impact of his words hit her, she felt like he was getting farther and farther away. It was like she was living in one of those cartoons where she sat in one place but the other person suddenly ended up at the end of a long table a football field length’s away from her.

It appeared her parents had come to realize that they had made a mistake in ostracizing her all those years ago, and wanted to set out to right their wrongs. The Last Will and Testament of both Jackson and Madeline Turner had left their entire estate to both her and Henry. This included life insurance money, property, and their business. Her father had also written her a letter, an actual handwritten apology for what he had forced her to endure. He even admitted how unfair it was to keep Henry away from his father; Chris was a good man and he didn’t deserve to lose Mallory and his son.

While she was shocked that her father took this step, she couldn’t help but hate him a little more for being a coward and leaving it upon his death. She wished he would have taken the step to make amends when he was still alive. It would have been nice to reconnect and attempt to rebuild the relationship. More importantly, it would have been nice to allow Henry to have grandparents. As it was, he had been told from the beginning that he had no grandparents, that they had all died. So, it took some explaining and a bit of creativity to explain to him how they “died” a second time. Since he didn’t have a relationship with them and didn’t know they existed, he wasn’t upset by the situation at all. In fact, Mallory’s best friend, Darby, came up to Boston with her family and kept Henry occupied so he didn’t have to spend time at the funeral home. It also kept Mallory from fielding uncomfortable questions.

In the days between the funeral and her return to Atlanta, as promised, Mallory spent a lot of time with Chris. They were serious about rekindling their romance and finding a way to get back together. They both still had strong feelings for one another, and they felt it best not to deny them. They enjoyed one another’s company and spending time with Henry. It was practice family time. They spent so much time together that Henry became quickly attached to Chris. He hugged him when it was time to leave for Atlanta and questioned Mallory on when he would get to see Chris again. The plan was working out the way she hoped.

Until the night Chris went out with his buddies after Mallory had left. It was innocent, they went to a bar and drank and his friends picked up a few girls. Chris made it clear that he wasn’t interested in hooking up with anyone, he had a girlfriend. The problem was, they were drinking all night long, and after a while, he passed out. When he woke up the next morning, he was in a compromising situation. While he was fairly confident that he did nothing wrong, he had a moment of panic where he questioned his actions. He left his friend’s apartment and while he was on the phone with Mallory, one of the girls came to his car and was vocal, making a scene. Mallory immediately jumped to the conclusion that Chris did something he shouldn’t have; she didn’t even provide him an opportunity to explain or give him the benefit of the doubt. She made it clear that she didn’t trust him.

This cut Chris to the core. If either one of them deserved to be untrusting, it was definitely him. She was the one with the track record of lying and being deceitful, not him. But she was so quick to judge; she hung up on him and pouted for a day or so before Josh stepped in and set her straight. Mallory crawled back to Chris and tried to fix it, but he was already done. He told her she had opened his eyes to the fact that they were moving too fast. They needed to work on the core foundation of trust between the two of them before they moved forward with their romance. He wasn’t saying they wouldn’t get back together, he just wanted to take it slow.

Mallory felt as if she had been gut-punched. She knew she had messed up. She should have trusted him, she never gave him an opportunity to explain, and that was her fault. But the fact that he had wanted to start over, well it was just overwhelming to her. She figured it was because of her pouting and her refusal to speak to him right after the incident. Chris thought she was acting childish, and he was correct, she was. But she was exhausted, her mind was still trying to sort out everything that had happened. Surely, he could understand the pressure and stress she had been under, right? That should count for something. But it didn’t. It was as If none of that had happened and she would have been coming from a point where she was level-headed and thinking rationally.

She had a particular disdain for Chris at the moment. Oh, she still loved him and wanted him in her bed. But the starting over, well that soured her. She was hurt, and it was hard to get up and dust yourself off after that blow. She talked to him on the phone; he regularly called to speak to her and to chat with Henry. They would exchange emails and a text message now and again. She kept everything very distanced, never letting him in. She was shielding her heart this time.

~ * ~

Darby let herself in, it was Monday morning, and she would always have coffee with Mallory after Henry caught the school bus. She made her way down the hall towards the kitchen, she heard Mallory’s voice, and it didn’t sound happy. As she got closer to the kitchen, she saw her best friend standing at the French Doors that led out to the backyard, she had her left hand on her hip, and her right hand was holding her phone to her ear. At the moment she was listening intently, but the reflection in the glass of the doors let Darby know that Mallory was on the verge of an all-out eruption.

“No, I’m putting my foot down and saying no, that’s the end of it. You can call your lawyer, I don’t give a fuck, Chris!”

Suddenly the phone went flying across the room, landing with a thud against the far wall in the dining room. Darby’s only immediate thought was that she was thankful for the OtterBox or that phone would have been shattered. She waited a moment before speaking, she wanted Mallory to have sufficient time to calm her breathing and to center herself. This was the one time she really hoped meditation was working.

“Do you need coffee or would you prefer that I make you a cup of tea?” Darby asked hesitantly.

Mallory’s head dropped, she rested her forehead on the glass panes of the door, “I think I better go with the tea,” she replied quietly.

Darby turned on the Keurig brewer and started to make their drinks. When they were ready, she brought them to the table, “Come on, sit down and tell me about it.”

Mallory let out a deep sigh, then turned and sat in the closest chair. She picked up the mug of tea, cupping it in her hands to warm herself. The faint smell of chamomile wafting up to calm her. Darby always knew what tea to brew and when. It was a unique sense she had. Heaven knows Mallory had a tea chest full of different varieties and even specialty sweeteners for them. Darby never had to ask how to make the perfect cup of tea for her. This is why she was her best friend; okay, just one of the reasons.

Mallory took a sip, “Chris wants Henry to come up for Thanksgiving. He wants to introduce him to the entire Evans clan. I told him it wasn’t going to happen. Henry has Thursday and Friday off from school, and that was a lot of traveling for those days. With it being some of the busiest times to travel during the year, I didn’t want him to miss school or anything. No, it wasn’t happening.”

“I take it that he didn’t like your answer?”

“Nope, not at all. He was furious at first. Then he calmed down and said he could understand and respect that decision.”

“Okay, well that sounds like a compromise. So, what led to the phone sailing?”

“Well, he said if I wasn’t up for Thanksgiving in Boston, then Henry should go to Disney in December.”

“Oh, the big family trip? The one where he is followed the entire time he is in Orlando?”

“That would be the one, Darby! I reminded Chris that Henry is not aware who he really is. And the minute any fan sees Chris and Henry together, that cat is out of the bag. They look exactly alike! Chris can’t keep people from taking pictures of Ethan and Miles, so he can’t prevent them from taking pictures of Henry.”

“Let me guess, this is when he brings it up again that you should tell Henry who his father is?”

“Yep! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to keep them apart, but it isn’t like Chris is going to be around a lot to be a real father.” Mallory took another sip of her tea, she knew she was unreasonable to an extent. But this was her son, she was the one who had raised him for twelve years and played the role of mom and dad. It wasn’t easy to just relinquish part of her responsibility. Especially to a parent who, let’s face it, would be more popular.

“He’s threatening to take you to court for custody? Are you ready for that Mallory? He’ll make that public, he always talks about keeping his private life quiet, but he’s going to want public sympathy.”

“I don’t even think he’s told his family about Henry and here he is threatening to take me to court,” she stood up and took her mug to the kitchen sink. The idea that the tea was going to calm her was a good one, in theory. Unfortunately, her stomach was churning, and she felt sick. She heard her phone begin to chip from the dining room. “Guess it isn’t dead,” she said with a wry laugh.

Darby watched as Mallory slowly moved toward the chirping phone. She figured the incoming call was from Chris, and she gathered by the slow motions of Mallory, it’s what her best friend anticipated as well. The chirping stopped as Mallory entered the dining room, but as she picked up the phone, the chirping began again. It took a moment before she swiped the screen and answered the call.

“What now?” Mallory’s tone was clipped and far from polite. Darby had been correct, it was Chris. Mallory made her way back to the table and put the call on speaker, figuring it would be easier for Darby to just hear the conversation instead of her having to recount it for her later.

“Are you done throwing your fit?” He asked the nastiness was prevalent in his voice. “I thought I’d give it a few minutes before I called you back. You didn’t answer right away, were you trying to decide if you wanted to talk to me or not?”

“Actually, I had thrown the phone across the room, and it took me a while to get to it,” she spat back at him.

“Oh, that is so very grown up of you. Hope you’re teaching our son to be that mature,” the venom in his voice was unmistakeable. “Look, despite what you think, I’m not calling to argue with you. I want to have a reasonable and mature conversation about this.”

Darby gave Mallory an encouraging look and waved her hand as if to say ‘go ahead.’ Mallory took a deep breath, “I’m not trying to keep you away from Henry. It’s the opposite, Chris, I want you to have a relationship with him. I have my reasons why Disney is not on the table for consideration.”

“What if you came along? What I paid for you to take Henry to Disney and you came the same week I’m there? You can enjoy Disney, and we can spend time alone at night, but he won’t be in the park with me, and no one will capture pictures of us together.” Chris waited, holding his breath for her to answer. He had thought long and hard about this compromise. He hated to admit it, but she was right to protest when he initially pitched the trip idea. But he hadn’t seen Henry in six weeks, that’s how long it had been since Mallory had left Boston. He was ready to see her and his son. “Please think about it. I want to see you for Thanksgiving, but I get why you don’t want to fly him up here for just a few days.”

“Does your family know about him yet? I mean, have you told your dad or your brother and sisters?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“If your family doesn’t know about him, does that mean you’re ashamed?” Darby watched with interest as the two of them volleyed back and forth. In reality, the two of them were arguing about Henry, but this was more about their feelings for one another. “I’m done with this conversation, Chris. I’ll think about Disney, but Thanksgiving is out.”

“Can I come there?” He hurried and asked before she hung up the phone.

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I’m serious. The original plan when you left Boston was for me to come down there, anyway. So, why not?”

“That was before you decided you wanted to change the plans and have him come to Boston, alone.”

“You don’t want Henry to travel, that’s fine, I get it. So, let me travel. Let me come down there and spend the holiday with the two of you. Please, I’d like to see you, I miss you.” His voice was soft, and he was pleading. She wasn’t sure how to take it, it was the last thing she had expected.

“I’ll think about it,” she replied as she ended the call. She kept her head down, she couldn’t even bring herself to look at Darby. For a minute, she forgot her best friend was even in the room with her. Her mind began to churn, wondering just how much he missed her. Was he saying it because he meant it or because he thought it was what she wanted to hear?

“Are you overthinking what he said to you?” Darby asked, her words making Mallory’s head snap up. “You were looking so serious, I know that face. So, tell me what is going through your head.”

“Is he saying what I want to hear or is he saying it because he means it?”

“Didn’t he tell you that he wanted to rebuild the trust with you and be friends before getting back to being lovers?” Mallory nodded slowly in response to Darby’s question. “He just said he hasn’t seen you for six weeks, and by the way, you two were talking just now, I guess you don’t speak much either. So, I think he meant it. Give him a chance, Mallory. You’re still in love with the guy, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.”

~ * ~

Henry came home from school, tossing his backpack into the mudroom and toeing off his tennis shoes before taking off for the family room. He came to a halt when he saw his mom in the kitchen, her arms crossed and waiting for him. She didn’t look happy, but he wasn’t sure what he had done wrong. He got a ride home with his friend, Noah. That had been planned, so she couldn’t be angry about that.

“Hey, what’s up, Mom?” Henry tried to ask cheerfully. Figuring the tone of his question would go a long way in how she responded. Her posture didn’t change. In fact, she didn’t appear to move at all, not even a tiny bit. “Are you alright?” He ventured to ask.

“I need to talk to you,” she finally responded, as if she was coming out of a trance. “I have a snack and drink for you at the table. Come on,” she reached for him and helped guide him to a chair at the kitchen table. The blinds were open at the eating nook, letting in the bright sunshine. It made the room look cheery and bright, even if that mood didn’t transfer to Mallory’s face.

As Henry sat down, he began to worry that he was in trouble from school. He couldn’t remember anything happening, but the last time his mom was so somber was when her parents died. Then it hit him, had something happened to Chris? Is that why she was so upset? Was she scared to tell him? His mind began racing, and he was suddenly afraid of anything she might have to say.

“Henry, I talked to Chris this morning. He wanted us to come up and visit for Thanksgiving,” she didn’t have the heart to tell him the complete truth. The fact that she wasn’t invited and that Chris had only wanted to see Henry. How would she explain that to her son? That would come off as creepy since Henry wasn’t aware of who Chris was in his family tree. So, she needed to put in a little white lie to make it easier to understand. “I can’t get away for more than a few days, and with that being a heavy travel time, it just wasn’t going to work. Chris asked for me to send you on your own, but I’m not comfortable doing that.”

Henry hung his head, she could see he was disappointed with what she was telling him. “Oh, I kind of miss him, mom. I mean, I thought you two were dating?”

“Well, we’re taking it slow. Anyway, I didn’t know what you really thought about him. So, I thought I’d ask if you might want him to come down here since we wouldn’t be going up there?”

The expression on Henry’s face could only be described as delighted. He got a huge smile on his face and Mallory could almost swear he looked like he could cry. “Are you serious? Yeah, invite him! This will be great, it will be the best Thanksgiving, ever.” Henry scooped up several of the orange slices his mom had cut up for him, along with his bottle of water. “Can I go play my video game now?”

“Sure, go ahead,” she waved him off and felt somewhat dejected. She should be overjoyed that her son was excited for Chris to come and visit. But it was the idea that he was so excited, it actually stung. She knew she was selfish, but it all went back to her irrational fears that when Henry found out who Chris was, well she would be pushed to the side. She could not help but worry that Henry would hate her.

Darby was for Chris coming to town. Obviously, Henry was for it. Now Mallory just needed to reconcile herself to the fact that it needed to happen.

~ * ~

Chris was pounding away on the treadmill, he was trying to get his heart rate up before he started lifting weights. He wasn’t doing the ‘official’ Captain America workout, but he wanted to prepare himself. He needed to be in Atlanta after the first of the year for rehearsals and training, so he might as well start getting used to the grueling workouts now. His phone started buzzing in his shorts, he wasn’t about to stop the treadmill to answer it. Besides, it was 6:30 in the morning, most likely it was a wrong number. There was no way his mom was calling him this early, she was corraling the kids with Carly and Ryan. And it was way too early in LA for anyone to be calling him about anything. No, the wrong number was the only option.

Then it hit him, it could be Mallory. He jumped off the treadmill and slammed the stop button. He quickly pulled his phone out and checked the missed call. “Fuck!” It had been Mallory, and she didn’t leave a voicemail. He immediately hit her name for the phone to dial her back and waited for her to answer. He was breathing heavily when she picked up the call.

“Well, I didn’t expect heavy breathing when you called me back. I guess you finished?” She asked, a hint of sarcasm and, what was that, jealousy? “Did you leave the room or is she still in bed with you?”

“I’m at the gym, and I was on the treadmill when you called. It’s too early for me to deal with your snark, Mallory.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” she needed to tone down the bitchiness. The entire reason for his decision to start new was because of her. She needed to stop blaming him and move on. “So, Thanksgiving is in three weeks, and if you want to come down, we will welcome you to our table.”

Chris was shocked, in the span of a few minutes on the phone she had accused him of having sex with another woman and then invited him for Thanksgiving dinner. And to top it off, she apologized to him. He knew she hated his decision to put their relationship on hold and start over with their friendship. Hell, he had even regretted it, but deep down he knew it was the right thing to do. His brain knew it, his heart just hadn’t gotten the message yet.

“I’d really like that, is Henry good with it?”

“Yes, he’s actually excited about seeing you.”

Chris’s chest swelled with pride hearing that. “Great, I’ll give him a call later today to chat. You know I’ve been talking to him, right?”

“He told me,” she replied softly, “I need to go. I’ll talk to you later,” Mallory quickly disconnected the call.

Chris just stared at his phone, wondering what that was all about. He began to wonder if Henry had not told Mallory that they had been talking to one another. There was nothing covert or deceptive about it, Henry just wanted someone else to talk to. It was clear to Chris that his son was in need of a male role model in his life. Maybe he didn’t know he was missing it until Chris had spent time with him in Boston. He wasn’t sure of the situation, but he wasn’t going to complain. It meant that he had a connection to Henry and it cemented the fact that Henry needed to know the truth about who his father was. The longer this charade went on, the harder it would be for Henry to accept. He would feel betrayed because the lies went on too long.


	2. Chapter 2

Chris knew that if he were to go to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, he would need to tell his family that he wouldn’t be spending it with them. And while his mother would not question his decision, the rest of his family would find it rather odd. Oh, sure they knew that Mallory lived in Atlanta and he had feelings for her. But the idea that he would spend the holiday with her, when they had not seen one another since she left Boston, would make them curious. Plus, Thanksgiving was a big holiday for his family. It was only second in grandeur to their Christmas get together. He had missed a turkey day here or there due to movie production and that was understandable. This would be a little harder to explain.

Chris snapped the top down on his Keurig and made a cup of coffee. While it was brewing, he called his mom, he figured he would start with her. Since he was a kid, he had always been able to tell her anything. There were times when he probably should have kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to run home and declare you had just had sex for the first time to your mom. But that was the type of relationship Chris and Lisa Evans had.

“Good morning, Christopher,” his mother offered cheerfully, “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Good morning! I’ve decided I’m going to Atlanta for Thanksgiving,” he quickly blurted the words out before he could chicken out.

“That’s great, you’re going to spend it with Henry. I’m excited for you, but I have a feeling there’s more to it.”

“I think I’m ready to tell everyone else about him. I can’t expect Mallory to be willing to give me custody and be open to letting Henry come to Boston to visit if he doesn’t know the truth. And I can’t tell him the truth and leave everyone else in the dark, now can I?”

“She’s pushing you on this?”

“No, not really. I mean, yeah, she’s asked me if I’ve told everyone. But she isn’t holding it over my head as a stipulation to getting time with Henry,” Chris ran his hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh. “Mom, I can’t keep this secret from everyone, not any longer. It’s too much, it weighs on me.”

“Okay, let’s get them together and tell them. Do you want to do it here or at your house?”

“I need dad to be a part of this,” he waited for a minute to see if his mom would make any comment. His parents had divorced when Chris was 18. His dad had remarried and had three young children with his new wife; his mother had never remarried. Robert and Lisa Evans were amicable when it came to the children, but they were not fond of being in each other’s company. “Look, I need dad and his family to be here to learn about Henry at the same time everyone else does.”

“You don’t need to explain it to me, Chris,” she took a deep breath and repeated her original question, “Where do you want to do this?”

“I think I’ll do it here. It’s neutral territory.”

~ * ~

Chris had elected to cater the dinner instead of cooking it himself. Of course, only Scott, and maybe his mother, knew that he was not that great of a cook and it was in the best interest of everyone if someone else did the meal prep. The food was set up in the kitchen as a buffet, that way he didn’t even have to worry about dirtying up serving dishes. Yes, he was taking the easy way out. He was not ashamed to let his family see that he didn’t cook, he wasn’t trying to impress anyone.

He checked the time, ten minutes til six, everyone would be showing up at any moment. No sooner had he checked his watch, he heard the front door open and his brother, Scott, announce his arrival. Chris had asked that this family meeting be for the adults only. His step-mother had bristled at the idea that his younger sisters and brother could not attend. However, Chris had told her that it was a serious discussion of an adult manner and he didn’t want to risk something being said that the kids didn’t understand. He asked Carly to not bring her children and that had been a point of contention as well.

He knew that he would have some backlash from his invitation requirements. But he anticipated that as he made his announcement and they discussed the entire situation, they would all be thankful that there were no small ears in the room. Within minutes of Scott and his mother arriving, Carly and her husband, Ryan arrived, followed quickly by Shanna and then their dad, Robert, and his wife.

Chris led them all into the dining room, offering them a seat and something to drink. As he stood at the bar, pouring drinks, he offered a greeting to his family, “Before we go and get dinner, I want to first say that I appreciate your willingness to come to dinner. I know I was a little vague with my invite, saying I needed to talk to you, but I needed to tell you all something and wanted to do it at once versus retelling the story multiple times.”

“Oh hell, you’re not dying are you?” Scott asked with genuine concern in his voice, “I mean, that would be your primary reason for wanting us all together for a family meeting, right?” He then looked panic-stricken as his eyes began darting around the room. His paranoia moved to his sisters and then immediately enveloped the room.

“No, shit, Scott, I’m not dying,” Chris shook his head, having a hard time comprehending that it was the scenario his brother came up with. “I wanted to let you all know I’m going to spend Thanksgiving in Atlanta this year.”

Carly’s face distorted with a look of utter disgust, “You got us all worked up and called a family meeting to tell us that? Seriously, Chris, I thought this was supposed to be important? Geez, it’s not like you haven’t missed Thanksgiving when you’ve been working, you know.”

Chris took a deep breath and tried to find a way to tell them what he needed to say. The problem was now Carly, Shanna, and Scott were talking amongst themselves about how selfish Chris was, because he had called a meeting for something so trivial. Robert looked back and forth and then over at Lisa who obviously knew what was going on with Chris. Robert whistled like he did when the kids were little and they knew they needed to come running home. All heads snapped up and looked at him, he nodded to Lisa.

“Guys, I think Chris has something more important to discuss, so calm down and let him get through this.”

“Thanks, Ma,” Chris cleared his throat, “So, you all know I met up with Mallory Turner when she was in town to bury her parents. It was the first time we saw each other or even talked to one another since she left all those years ago.” Chris had been standing at the head of the table, but he needed to sit down to get through this. There was no way he could stand up, his knees were on the verge of buckling.

“So did she finally tell you why she just up and left you?” Scott shot at his brother, he didn’t hide the fact that he hated how Mallory hurt his brother.

Chris played with his untouched whiskey glass, swirling the amber liquid and letting the few ice cubes clink in the glass. “Her parents disowned her, they had a fight and kicked her out of the house and told her to never come back. The only person who would take her in was her aunt in Atlanta.” The shock over what he had said began to register on the faces of his family.

“Son, that must have been one heck of a fight for them to disown her. What happened? And if she was in Atlanta, why didn’t she at least reach out to you and let you know she was safe? Did she not think you would be worried?” Robert Evans asked quietly, the concern for his son was evident in the tone of his voice and in the gentleness of his eyes.

“Her parents wanted her to terminate her pregnancy and she refused. They didn’t want the scandal of having an unwed pregnant daughter and thought it best to turn her out, so they disowned her,” he picked up the whiskey glass, swallowing its contents in one shot, hoping it would give him the liquid courage to continue. His family was silent, their eyes glued on him. “She didn’t tell me or reach out to me because her parents had her convinced that, since I was going to pursue my acting career, I wouldn’t have time for her and a baby in my life. So, she moved to Atlanta and never called.”

The table was silent as if everyone was in shock over his admission. He wished someone would just say something, he couldn’t take the stares or the silence. Carly took care of breaking the ice.

“OH MY GOD! You’ve got a child?” Carly’s hand flew to her mouth as if she was trying to keep more words from escaping. That and the fact that her voice was still reverberating through the room.

Chris smiled, the joy spreading across his face and shining through his eyes; for the first time that evening, he was glowing. “Yeah, I do. I have a twelve-year-old son named Christopher Henry Tanner. He goes by Henry and he is smart and handsome, Mallory has done a fantastic job raising him. But he doesn’t know I’m his dad, that’s been kept from him.”

Shanna, Chris’s younger sister, had been adopted and had gone through the foster system before finding a home with the Evans family, so the idea of not knowing your real parents or having that connection was deeply personal to her and this situation hit extremely close to home. “She’s let that boy go his entire life thinking he doesn’t have a dad? How could she do that to him?”

“Oh, Shanna, she wasn’t trying to hurt him. Believe me, I’ve struggled with this and we’ve fought over it more than I would like to admit. But she was trying to protect him and me. She didn’t know what my reaction would be, her parents had her believing I wouldn’t want her or him. And then when she wanted to tell me, well it would’ve looked like she was coming after me for money. It’s a messed up and convoluted situation all around.”

“You’ve met him, though, right?” Robert asked, wanting to see where things stand now.

“I have, but we still haven’t told Henry the truth.”

“Okay, now you’re just an idiot,” Carly spat out at her brother. She no longer cared about a filter for her words. “I was with you up until that point. Why doesn’t he know yet?”

“I flew into a rage the night I found out about Henry. Demanded that Mallory tell him and introduce me to him and give me my son. I’ve been saying I want kids and here I have one and dammit, I wanted him in my life,” Chris began to fidget with the empty whiskey glass. He wasn’t sure how to explain all of this to his family because he wasn’t sure how he was reconciling it with himself. He knew they were judging him, they were family and just wanted to understand and support, but they were judging his actions. “The enormity of it hit me. I have a twelve-year-old son and I was terrified. I began to think he might end up feeling that way, too. I thought I should ease myself into the role and maybe he needed to get used to having some around. Mallory hasn’t been in any relationships and he hasn’t had a male role model around. I mean, Josh hangs out with them every now and then, but not enough to be a consistent father figure.”

“Josh? He’s known all along?” Scott was stunned that one of their closest friends, someone they treated like family, had kept this quiet.

“Yeah, he’s known. Which is why we came to blows over it and I do mean literally came to blows,” Chris was sheepish in his admission of his fight with his best friend. “Mallory and I are talking about how we’re going to tell Henry. She’s concerned that Henry will hate her.”

“I wouldn’t blame him if he did,” Shanna announced, “It’s cruel to lie to him like that, especially after he’s met you.”

“Don’t be that way, Shanna. I’m just as responsible in saying hold off on telling him. I don’t want him to hate me, either. Hell, he’s going to wonder why I never came around. Why I abandoned him and his mom, I’m not going to look like a saint in this.”

Chris’s stepmother cleared her throat, she never ventured into the fray in these types of conversations. After all, she was the ultimate outsider in the family events. She had a decent enough relationship with Chris, but you couldn’t describe them as close or loving. “I might be out of line for asking, but are you reconciling with Mallory? Are there still romantic feelings between the two of you?” She asked the question delicately and, for that, Chris was thankful.

“Honestly, I would like to. I was ready to dive head first several weeks ago, but something happened that made me rethink that decision. We’re different people now, I think we need to start fresh,” he let out a chuckle, “She isn’t happy with that idea. I want us to get to know who each other is now and allow me to get to know Henry before we go further.”

Chris looked up at his mother, she was sitting opposite him at the other end of the table. He took a deep breath because he knew that what he was about to say would not go over well with her. They had not talked about it, but he just knew it would not be what she wanted to hear. “I’ve got every intention of marrying Mallory and making us a family. I love her and she loves me. Right now, we’re struggling with the past and pain. But I want Henry to know me as his father, hell, I want to give him brothers and sisters. I know she’s my life.”

“That’s beautiful, Chris,” his stepmother replied, “I hope it all works out for the three of you.”

“I just can’t believe she kept it quiet for twelve fucking years!” Scott spit out, he was protective of his older brother and hated the idea that he was dealing with this. “Did you see that kid at the funeral, Ma?”

All eyes shifted to Lisa Evans and she was looking directly at Chris. She had no problem telling the story of how she saw Henry at the funeral. However, the decision was completely up to Chris and he was giving her a slight nod to indicate she could move forward. She cleared her throat and then took a sip of water before starting to speak.

“I did see him, but I didn’t see him up close, only from far away. At the time of the funeral, I had no idea that he was Chris’s son. I saw Mallory with her little boy and figured she was pregnant when she left but didn’t tell Chris because she had gotten pregnant by someone else. She was afraid to tell him or ashamed, whatever the case.”

Chris decided to step in and pick up the story from that point, “Mom saw Josh interacting with both Mallory and Henry. So, when she recalled the scene at the cemetery, she believed Josh was his father.”

“So how exactly did you find out the truth?” Ryan, Carly’s husband, asked the question that everyone wanted to know the answer to.

“Well, when mom said she thought Mallory and Josh had a son, I went to his house to confront him. We scuffled, I got a few punches in, and he told me the truth. He’d kept it from me all along, Mallory had asked him to. She talked to him on a regular basis and he flew down to see her once in awhile. He evidently kept her up to date on everything Chris Evans related,” he said with a laugh as he looked around the table.

“You realize this sounds like a movie script, right? And not a good one.” Shanna sneered at her brother. She loved him, always looked up to him, but right now she was at a loss for his actions and his attitude over this entire situation. “I’m amazed that you have just accepted this whole situation and are giving credence to having a relationship with her after she’s lied to you for twelve years. How are you not livid?”

“Shanna, I’ve gone through that stage already. I was so angry, I got in her face and yelled at her. I wanted to spit nails and I couldn’t see straight. But I didn’t know everything that she went through. I didn’t understand her struggles over the years, I focused on my pain only.”

“So, you calmed down enough to listen and find out the entire story,” Carly asked cautiously. She had never seen her younger sister so worked up before, but this was a subject that was hitting close to home, so she got it. But she didn’t want this dinner to turn so ugly that it damaged their family’s relationship going forward.

“Over the course of several days, Mallory and I had long talks. She gave me all the details, everything her parents told her and what happened when she moved to Atlanta. And I’ll admit, I was still a little skeptical,” Chris pushed himself away from the table and poured himself another glass of whiskey. He needed the liquid courage to continue down this path with his family. He knew they would question everything, but he didn’t expect to feel so attacked.

“She went to the reading of her parent’s wills and the attorney gave her a letter that her father had written. It was sealed and Mallory couldn’t bring herself to read it, so she asked me to do it for her. He asked for forgiveness for everything they had done to her; she was telling me the truth and I could see the pain in her eyes. I couldn’t hold it against her, it wasn’t all her fault. She was scared if she came forward at any time after I had moved to Hollywood and started making movies that it would look like she was after money.”

Chris swallowed the drink he had just poured and looked at every member of his family. They were watching him, waiting to see what he would say or do next. “So, yeah, you can hate her for keeping it quiet and not reaching out to me. But can you tell me that, if she had reached out and we were having this conversation, that you wouldn’t be saying she’s a gold digger looking for money? She wouldn’t be able to win with any of you and you know it.”

His assessment of the situation was accurate and deep down, they all knew he was right. If each one of them tried to be objective, they would see that Mallory was stuck in a bad situation. She could have told him early on and risked him turning his back on her. Or have her tell after the fact and risk being labeled a gold digger.

Robert stood up from the table and walked the few steps that would put him next to his oldest son’s chair. He reached out and placed his hand on Chris’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. “I’m proud of you, Chris. You are handling this the right way, taking it slow and being mature about the decisions you need to make for your son. I trust you’ll do what you feel is the right thing to do and you’ll keep in Henry in mind in whatever that decision is.” Chris stood up, embracing his dad and silently thanking him for his support. With everything that had just occurred around that table, his dad’s word meant so much to him. Chris had shared with him, over the years, that he still had feelings for Mallory. For once, he had told him things that he had not told his mother. “So, when do I get to meet my new grandson?”

Chris pulled away from his dad and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill down his cheek. “Um, well, I don’t know yet. Mallory and I have to work out when we’re going to tell Henry the truth. I need to ease him into the crazy world of being my kid.”

“Yeah, well if that is the benchmark for us meeting him, then it’ll never happen,” Scott snarked at his brother.

“Is there a chance he is going to come to Disney with us?” Carly asked enthusiastically.

“Well, I don’t know. That is actually a point of contention between Mallory and me. I say ‘yes, ’ and she is adamant about ‘no.’ She is afraid if he goes, he will be photographed with me and the cat will be out of the bag!”

“She doesn’t want the media to know, does she?” Shanna asked quietly.

Chris shook his head, “No, she doesn’t. I don’t blame her, he’d be followed and photographed and she’ll be scrutinized in the media as well. I don’t want him dealing with that, at least not yet.”

“Wait, so how is Disney causing the problem? I’m lost,” Ryan asked, a little perplexed.

“She’s afraid that the fans that end up taking pictures of me when I’m down there will catch Henry and me together. He looks so much like me, they’ll figure it out. And we don’t have a timetable yet on when we’re going to tell him the truth, so that could bite us in the ass if it gets out because of pictures at Disney.”

“Wait a minute!” Lisa broke in, she had been quiet and let the rest of the family ask questions because she already knew so much of the backstory. But this, she wasn’t letting this pass. “Why in the hell would you not go ahead and tell that boy right now? You want him to know. She wants him to know. And, by God, you two want to make the family whole, just tell him and then Disney won’t be an issue.”

“Mom, I think she’s afraid if she tells him before Christmas and he hates her, that the holiday is ruined.”

“Oh, and heaven forbid her holiday is ruined because her son is mad at her while my son’s holiday is ruined because he can’t be with his son!”

“Mom’s right, that’s not exactly fair,” Carly chimed in.

Robert took this opportunity to sit back down and Chris followed suit. Chris then ran his hand through his hair and slapped his hands down on his thighs, letting out an exasperated sigh. “I appreciate that you are all every bit as worked up over this as I’ve been. But I can’t argue with Mallory and argue with you; I don’t have it in me to do battle on two home fronts.”

“You two are still arguing?” his stepmother asked, leaning forward and placing her hand on his. Her simple gesture meant a lot, it was the one moment of comfort in a tornado of emotions.

“We are and I hate it. You guys don’t get it, I love her. The problem is, she is still mad that I moved back to taking things slow. I think she was ready to go ahead and get married and tell Henry and move forward. But I don’t want to get into why I decided to take things slow,” Chris reached for his glass, he was prepared to pour another drink.

“Christopher!” His mother said sternly, “I don’t think you need another drink. The whiskey isn’t going to help and I believe you know that. You took it slow so you can rebuild the foundation for your relationship and to be sure that when you marry her, it really is forever. We can all admire and respect that decision.”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t. And you’re right, the whiskey isn’t going to help, but I need to forget. I didn’t expect it to be this hard to tell you guys. I just need your support right now, can we get through the rest of the night without you telling me how much you hate Mallory?”

“Well, I think we can do that if you would feed us,” Scott announced as he stood up. “Seriously, what kind of asshole invites us over for dinner and then talks our ears off, gets us riled up and holds out on the food?”

Everyone began to laugh, Scott’s acerbic wit was just what was needed. Robert and Lisa pulled Chris to the side, wanting to talk to him one-on-one. It was only appropriate that his parents came together over something like this to try and help him out.

“Chris, I can appreciate that you’re rebuilding the foundation. And your mother is right, it’s important, but don’t fight and argue with Mallory over Henry and rock that delicate balance. Don’t risk one for the other, because you risk it all.”

“I agree with your father. If you’re going to go down there for Thanksgiving, make it count. Work on your relationship with her just as much as you work on that relationship with Henry.”

“I’ve been calling on a regular basis and talking to Mallory, the calls are sometimes strained, but we speak anyway. I always end the call by speaking to Henry and she knows this. But he’s been calling me or texting me to talk when she’s not around, he told me that Mallory knew about it,” his voice trailed off.

“But she didn’t?” Lisa questioned, sensing the answer before she even asked the question.

Chris shook his head, “No, when I mentioned something about my call to him, her tone changed and she quickly hung up. I’m afraid the decisions I made weeks ago are going to bite me in the ass now and I’m going to lose her.”

“Make the effort leading up to Thanksgiving and make an effort when you are there,” Robert said reassuringly. “Chris, if she is what you want, fight for her and fight for Henry.”

Once everyone had food, the mood at the table lightened and the conversation veered from Mallory and Henry to the other members of the family. Chris was well aware, though, that his family was harboring animosity and potentially some bitterness. Which meant that going forward, family get-togethers could be kind of interesting.

~ * ~

After everyone had left the house and the kitchen was cleaned up, Chris decided to give Mallory a call. He hadn’t talked to her all day. Actually, he hadn’t spoken to her in two days. He missed her voice, even if she was yelling at him. He made his way up the steps, turning to the left and standing in the doorway of the guest room that had been converted into Henry’s bedroom. He hadn’t told Mallory he had done this; it was going to be a surprise.

When he had gone shopping for everything for the room, he knew that he would get weird looks. Several people asked him outright what he was decorating for. He played it off that he was going to surprise a young fan with a room makeover. It was a plausible story, everyone knew that Chris was charitable. He arranged for everything to be picked up instead of delivered, strictly for the reason of not giving up that the kid’s bedroom would be at his house.

He hoped that Henry would see this room soon. Chris was anxious for him to come home and he wanted it to be permanent. He would love for Mallory to be with him, but it was okay if it was just Henry. If Mallory was going to keep pushing back on telling Henry the truth, Chris would force her hand. He had consulted a family attorney, the wife of one of his good friends, and she was a pit bull in the courtroom. He knew that if he told her what was going on, attorney-client privilege took precedent and she couldn’t divulge anything he told her.

Chris was aware that his name was not on Henry’s birth certificate, that was the first thing he wanted to change. To do that he needed a court order. And for a court order, he needed a DNA test. Chris had put Rebecca on retainer, her office would do the legwork in regards to the filings that would need to be made. They would start the paperwork and, when Chris was ready, he just needed to let them know; they would date the documents and obtain his signature, and the legal ball would start rolling.

He had made it clear to Rebecca that he wanted to explore every avenue with Mallory to resolve the issues without going down the legal path. He didn’t like the idea that the court documents would be public and anyone could see his business. For some as private as he was, he wanted this to remain private. He knew they would still need to use the legal system, but it was a whole hell of a lot different to do it when the parties were agreeing than when they were at each other’s throat.

Chris walked into his bedroom and changed from his jeans and sweater into his pajama pants and thermal henley. He pulled the sheets back on the bed and propped the pillows up, making himself comfortable and then dialing Mallory’s number. She picked up the phone almost immediately, it barely rang on his end. “Were you sitting on the phone, just waiting for it to ring?” He teased as she answered.

“No, it rang several times on my side. I was actually afraid it might roll to voicemail before I could get to it.”

“Oh, well, I haven’t talked to you in a few days and I wanted to see how you were doing,” he kept his voice even, trying not to sound as if he was overly excited to talk to her.

“It’s late and you know that Henry is already in bed,” she was trying not to sound accusatory, but she wanted to get that out of the way.

“Were you already in bed when I called? Is that why you sound so sleepy?”

“I was in bed, but I wasn’t asleep. I was staring at the ceiling and trying to get my mind to shut off,” she admitted. She knew that sounded insane and he would most likely laugh at her. “I’m sure you have a reason for calling?”

He could push, tell her that he completely understands the issue with brain noise. Get her to talk about it and let her know that they could find a way to work through it. They were most likely stressing over the same thing and maybe they could resolve the issue together. But he wasn’t going to do that. Right now wasn’t the right time.

“Tonight I told my family about Henry,” as the words spilled out, Mallory sat up in bed. “I had all of them over for dinner, well not the younger kids. But I told them all about Henry and your backstory and why I didn’t know about him until several weeks ago.”

“They all hate me, don’t they?”

“No, some of them were having a hard time understanding, though. I think they are excited about the prospect of meeting Henry and putting this behind us.”

Mallory pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arm around legs. She tried to pull herself as close in as she could, which was hard since she was holding the phone. “What did you tell them about us?”

Chris knew he had to be careful how he answered this. He didn’t want to be overly optimistic, but he didn’t want to sound as if he had given up entirely, either. “I told them that we still have feelings for one another. That I think you’re still angry because we didn’t run off and get married right away. You need to know I’m not interested in burning white hot with you and bringing Henry into that mix and then burning out because we weren’t meant to be. When we say “I Do” and we become a family, it’s going to be forever, with no outs, do you hear me?”

He thought he heard her sniffle. He knew that she was crying, this conversation, no matter the variation of the discussion, was never easy. It usually ended in some sort of argument and his goal for tonight was for that not to happen.

“Please don’t cry, Mallory. I know you think I’m torturing you, but I’m not trying to. I love you, I do. But we are different people than we were when you left. I need to make sure you love who I am now, not the image of who you think I am.”

Mallory wiped the tears from her cheeks and swallowed the lump that was in her throat. If she cast aside her hurt feelings, he was right and made complete sense. It was the casting aside that was the problem. “I love you, Chris. That has never changed, but I get it. We fight because we’re passionate,” Chris noticed that her Boston accent had been overtaken by the soft lilt of a Georgian accent. “When you come down for Thanksgiving, you can stay here at the house with Henry and me. There’s plenty of room and I think Henry would really like it.”

“Thank you, Mallory.” She didn’t completely understand his reason for slowing things down, but he was right in making that decision. One day she would hopefully see that, maybe it would be years down the road when their marriage was strong, and they had weathered ups and downs in his career so easily. Maybe that is when she would see that this was needed. God, he hoped so. Maybe this was the first step.


	3. Chapter 3

Mallory invited Chris to come to town a couple of days before the holiday. She tried to say that it was because she didn’t want there to be travel delays that would put a damper on the plans for dinner, but she was also trying to extend a bit of an olive branch in providing an opportunity for Chris and Henry to spend extra time together. Chris wasn’t working on any projects right now so his schedule provided the perfect opportunity. 

He elected to travel out on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. His flight was supposed to leave and get him into Atlanta at six, just in time for dinner. Unfortunately, just as he got through security at Logan airport the weather delays started to hit. A storm in the Mid-Atlantic was going to delay his flight’s departure, he just hoped it wouldn’t cancel it outright. He texted Mallory immediately to apologize for the delay and to let her know he wouldn’t make it in time for dinner. He wasn’t sure when he would take off, but he’d let her know and he’d definitely call if the flight gets canceled.

Figuring he was in for a long wait, Chris positioned himself at the Delta lounge with a beer and watched the Bruins game. He kept his phone close by and kept an eye on the weather app. Around seven, he texted Mallory to say that there was still no word, but the storm looked like it was losing steam. Hopefully, he would hear something soon, but his flight was still listed as delayed and not canceled. Sure enough, a little over an hour later they began a boarding call for his flight. Chris immediately sent a text to Mallory: 

Looks like we’ll take off around 9. Be in ATL around 12

He grabbed his backpack and ticket and took off for the gate. He was a priority member and a First Class passenger, but he wasn’t about to board first. There was always a rush to get on board right away to grab coveted overhead bin space. Not for him, he hated being on the flight early to deal with boarding passengers who would stare or request autographs. Or, his favorite, the selfies they would post on social media to tip off everyone as to where he was traveling to. No, instead he preferred to work with the gate attendants, who would graciously take his carry-on bags early and put them on the plane so that he could wait until the last minute to board. Sometimes being a celebrity really did have its privileges!

As he waited for his turn to board, he felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He didn’t want to risk someone reading over his shoulder, so he thought he would just read the text once he was seated. Besides, he figured it was a text from Mallory; he just hoped she wasn’t asking him to stay in a hotel since he was getting in so late.

When the crowd had thinned, Chris made his way down the jetway and greeted the flight personnel before taking his seat. He was thankful First Class was relatively empty and he didn’t have anyone seated next to him for the flight. As the plane door was shut and locked, Chris read Mallory’s text: 

I’m looking forward to seeing you, I’ll be awake when you get here. Travel safe

Chris had to admit he wasn’t expecting that type of response from her. Since the phone call when he admitted he told his family about Henry, the night he admitted he wanted their love to last, they had turned a corner and things had been different between the two of them. The phone calls were not as contentious and the snide remarks, from both sides, had virtually stopped.

He fastened his seatbelt and began to get antsy. The flight from Boston to Atlanta took three hours, but he wished the flight could somehow go supersonic and get him there faster. He just prayed there wouldn’t be any other weather delays.

~ * ~

Mallory was a nervous wreck; the house had been cleaned, but she felt like it needed to be perfect for Chris’s arrival. She had made the decision to put Chris in the guest room on the other side of Henry’s room. While the last few calls had gone well with Chris, she wasn’t sure about them sharing a bed and she didn’t want to explain any part of that scenario to her son. Oh, she had already had ‘the talk’ with him, but no kid wants to think of his mom getting busy with her boyfriend. Wait, is that what Chris was? They really didn’t have a label, they were just friends trying to work out their relationship.

Mallory had decided to cook dinner for Chris; it just seemed appropriate to have a home cooked meal when he got there since he would be tired from traveling and wouldn’t want to go out. And the idea of ordering fast food of any type seemed inappropriate. The grocery shopping had been done and the menu prepared. Dinner would go on around 5:30 with the plan that it would be ready just about the time Chris got to the house.

When Mallory received the text saying his flight was delayed due to weather, she was disappointed but thankful he at least gave her a heads up. She went forward with the plans to eat since they didn’t have an ETA on his flight. She made Chris a plate and wrapped it in foil so she could heat it up in the oven when his plane landed and he was on his way to the house. She poured a glass of wine and settled into the oversized chair in the family room to watch TV and keep herself occupied. She was in the middle of a House Hunters marathon when she received Chris’s text that he was boarding the plane and would arrive in Atlanta around midnight. Her nerves began to spark and she started to fidget. Mallory wanted this visit to go well, but she was scared because she knew Chris would want to talk about arrangements for Henry and that could turn ugly. She needed to stay positive.

Her feelings for Chris could not be flipped on and off like a light switch; she did love him. But she was not so sure if his declarations to her were as sincere. It was a nagging thought in her head because she had not been intimate with anyone since she conceived Henry. That was not something that Chris could say. She had gone on dates, but her decision to never take it further always went back to her love for Chris. She had held that torch, never letting it extinguish. So the morning Mallory heard a woman’s voice interject during her conversation with Chris had hurt her more than he could imagine. 

Yes, Mallory was quick to jump to the conclusion he had done something wrong and was untrustworthy. Never giving him an opportunity to explain. Instead, dismissing him out of hand. But did she even have that right? They weren’t married to one another. At that point they weren’t even dating exclusively. The crux of the entire situation was that she had her feelings hurt. 

Darby and her husband John had been pushing for Mallory to get professional help in the form of therapy and legal counsel. Darby thought counseling could help her work through the concerns she had over dealing with the entire situation. Her parents had done a number on her by disowning her and they had certainly confused the hell out of her by writing a letter and saying they regretted their decision. As a therapist, Darby knew this alone was more than enough to keep Mallory in sessions for years to come. But when you add in the worries of Chris and Henry, Mallory had too much to deal with and she was struggling to cope. Darby was too close to the situation and didn’t think she could be objective enough, so she was encouraging her best friend to get help.

While Darby pushed the therapy angle, John was working the legal angle. He knew that it would not take long for Chris to move forward in his attempts to insert himself into Henry’s life in a legal sense. This meant being on the birth certificate and being Henry’s father in the eyes of the law. Mallory needed legal representation and John had an associate in his office who handled family law, his name was Mark and he was willing to take on her case. John had given him the ‘highlights’ of the file and Mark was chomping at the bit to get started. The issue was Mallory, she just didn’t want to address it even though she knew it should be a priority. She knew if things didn’t work out with Chris romantically, he would come at her with both barrels. Chris Evans had the means and the media; the battle would be ugly and it would be public.

Mallory needed to get these thoughts out of her head before Chris got to the house. If she didn’t, they would eat at her and could cause issues during his visit. She needed to remain positive and do what she could to make things work between the two of them. Right now, she needed to focus on staying awake for the next few hours! She decided to make a cup of coffee; she had wine while watching TV and it had a tendency to make her sleepy. Too bad she didn’t have espresso because that would keep her wired. She took her coffee and settled into the living room with a blanket and a book. Unfortunately, the sofa was too comfortable, the blanket too warm, and the coffee and reading canceled one another out – Mallory fell asleep within minutes.

She was startled out of her sleep by the loud ringing of her phone. Mallory fell asleep with the phone in her hand; her head resting on the same hand. Which meant the phone was positioned right at her ear when the ringing started. She fumbled with the device to answer it and gave a raspy, “Hello.”

She heard Chris chuckle, “So much for staying awake, I didn’t mean to wake you up. I’m about to pull up to the house.” His voice was deep and velvety smooth. Honestly, he wasn’t expecting her to answer as quickly as she did, the clock on the dash showed the time as 12:32 am. He figured she had fallen asleep and that it would take a while to get her to wake up. He had no idea if she was a heavy or light sleeper.

“Yeah, sorry. I’ll meet you out front,” she replied, sleep still thick in her voice. She stood from the couch and slid her feet into her shoes that were sitting on the floor next to the sofa. She double checked the locks, making sure the doors wouldn’t automatically lock her out as she closed the door. As she stepped onto the front porch she saw the headlights from his car as he pulled into the driveway.

Mallory wrapped her arms around herself, the night air was brisk and she had walked outside without putting on a jacket. She stood at the top of the steps and leaned against the porch column. Chris stepped out of the car and she could feel her entire body start to smile. His beard had been trimmed and he was wearing his requisite ball cap along with jeans and a blue jacket. It looked familiar, almost like the one he wore in the first Captain America movie when was walking through the Smithsonian. 

Chris pulled his overnight bag and his backpack out of the backseat and started to walk towards her. When he looked up at her, she could feel her smile grow wider. Mallory could have sworn that when he caught her eye he started walking just a bit faster.

When he reached the steps, he looked up, “Can I come up on your porch, ma’am?” He tried to put a lilt in his voice, almost reminiscent of his role at Jimmy Dobyne all those years ago, “That is the gentlemanly thing to do, correct?”

“Why yes, Mr. Evans, you may come up on my porch. And it is the polite thing to do,” she started to chuckle at the idea of him trying to pull out old Southern charm on her at almost 1 am. 

He stepped up onto the porch and dropped his bags, but never taking his eyes off of her. Without uttering a word, he cupped Mallory’s face in his hands, leaned in and softly brushed his lips across hers. As he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and whispered softly, “I missed you, Mallory.”

“I missed you, too. C’mon lets get in the house, I’m freezing out here.”

Chris lightly placed his hand on the small of Mallory’s back and led her into the house. He was impressed with the house, it was the quintessential southern home with a wrap-around front porch. He was certain if he went looking in the daylight, he would find a porch swing. Inside, the house was warm and inviting. There was a large stairway that led to the second floor. It was the perfect staircase you would see in movies or on TV. He would almost bet money that at Christmas, Mallory would wrap that banister with garland and maybe even white lights. 

“This house reminds me of something I would read about in a book or see in a movie,” he said with a reverence in his voice. He had no idea what to expect for the type of house she would live in with her aunt, but somehow, this house fit her perfectly.

“My aunt and uncle bought it years ago before I moved down here. It was in bad shape; they gutted it and did all of the renovations. I fell in love with it when I moved down and it’s the only home Henry’s ever known,” Mallory diverted her eyes from his. She moved back to the front door to make sure it was locked and ready for the night. She set the alarm, using the keypad by the door, and then walked past Chris into the living room.

“They left it to you when they passed?” Chris asked as he took a seat next to her on the couch. Mallory sat far enough away from him, not wanting to be too close. He wanted to reach out and pull her close, but he wasn’t going to let his sexual needs overtake him. They were on shaky ground, and he couldn’t risk anything right now.

“Yes, it was left to me when my aunt died. I still have a hard time believing she’s gone. The house doesn’t seem as vibrant these days, but I try hard to keep her memory alive,” she looked down at her lap, the intensity in his eyes was unsettling. He wasn’t pushing her, but he wanted her to keep talking. “I haven’t changed anything, I mean, the house still looks the same. I’m scared to redecorate or move the furniture,” she looked up at Chris. He was just watching her, listening, like he was hanging on every word she was saying. “It’s like I’m afraid she’ll be mad at me, or worse, disappointed.”

Chris decided it couldn’t hurt, so he motioned for her to come close to him. He wanted to feel her body against his. He wasn’t trying to make a sexual move on her, he just wanted to wrap his arms around her and have her close. Wanted to comfort her, and honestly, he needed that comfort as well. The fighting, the arguments, this is not what he had anticipated, and it made him miserable. They were two passionate people, both fighting for what was important to them. Both scared they would ultimately lose instead of channeling their energy to finding a way for them both to win.

~ * ~

Henry rolled over in his bed and looked at the clock on his nightstand; it was 8:30. He never slept in that late, even on a non-school day. His mom had always kept him to a schedule of getting up and going to bed at the same time, no matter what. She said it was so she didn’t have to fight him during the school year. He thought it was because she was mean. The fact that she didn’t wake him up this morning, well that worried him.

He pulled back the covers and made his way to the bathroom. He thought it was weird that he heard no sounds in the house at all. He remembered that Chris was supposed to come in last night. He had hoped mom would at least be making breakfast since they had company. He went back to his room and got dressed and headed downstairs. He noticed his mom’s bedroom door was open and her bed was made, so she was up at least. 

As he descended the steps, he looked over into the living room and immediately understood what was going on. His mom was leaning up against Chris, he has his arms around her and they were both asleep. He noticed that Chris’s bags were still on the floor, it looked like they never made it upstairs when he got there last night. Since they looked comfortable, he was not about to wake them up.

Henry quietly walked past the living room and into the kitchen. He figured he would put on a pot of coffee for when Chris and his mom woke up and then he would make some breakfast for himself. His mom had a regular coffee pot and a Keurig, she was a coffee freak! He had just finished pouring in the water and measuring the coffee grounds when he heard a voice behind him.

“Morning, buddy, how are you?” Chris yawned and stretched then raked his fingers through his hair. It wasn’t slicked down so it was a little wild at the moment. Henry started laughing at him, “What’s so funny?”

“You – your hair, it’s sticking up all over your head! Dude, you need a hat or something.”

This made Chris immediately try again to force his hair down, “Yeah, well, I had a hat on all day yesterday so that’s the problem.” He motioned with his head over towards the coffee pot and where Henry was standing, “Whatcha got going on over there?”

“I’m making coffee for you and mom. You drink coffee, right?”

Chris couldn’t help but smile at what a sweet and thoughtful boy Henry was. “Yeah, buddy, I certainly do. So, while it’s brewing, why don’t you come over here and fill me on the latest,” he patted the stool next to where he had taken a seat. While he talked to him regularly, he was astonished at how much Henry had changed physically in the short time since he had last seen him. He felt as if he needed to hurry to make up for all the lost time and make sure he didn’t miss any more. This only bolstered his resolve to fight for his rights to his boy.

“I’m good I guess,” Henry didn’t raise his eyes to Chris, preferring to focus on the countertop in front of him. 

“Henry? Is there something you want to talk about? You know, I can be a good listener,” he wasn’t going to push the subject. He just wanted to open the door a crack in the hopes that Henry would open it completely. He had been talking to Henry over the phone and the conversations were nothing serious or profound. Everything was general, things there were happening at school and excitement over new video games or books. Not that this stuff wasn’t important. But Chris wanted to build on the relationship with his son so he wanted him to trust him with the important things like his feelings. Henry raised his chin, looking up at Chris. In a quiet, almost barely audible voice, he asked, “Do you still love my mom?”

Chris was actually shocked at the question; he did his best to hide his surprise. “I wasn’t expecting you to ask that,” he admitted.

“I guess I shouldn’t ask, but..,” Henry’s voice trailed off.

“It’s okay that you did, I’m just surprised, that’s all,” Chris tried to think of the best way to maneuver through this conversation. “I do love your mom, Henry. So, what is making you ask the question?”

“I shouldn’t say anything,” he put his head back down, staring at his lap, “Forget I asked.”

“No, I’m not going to do that. You had a reason for asking and it won’t make me mad, I promise. It’s just between us.”

Henry looked back up at him, his eyes conveying that he was trying to hold back tears, “You promise?” Chris nodded in acknowledgment and gave a slight smile to let him know he would go on. “Well, I know you and mom were happy in Boston and then something happened when we got home. She tries to keep it quiet, but I know you two argue when you’re on the phone with one another.”

“So, you think because we’ve argued that I don’t love her?”

“Well, I thought you two were going to get married because you asked me if you could marry her. But now if you fight, that won’t happen. Do you fight because of me?”

Chris’s heart stopped when he heard the question. There was no way to answer that without revealing that he was Henry’s father. He hoped his face was not betraying him and revealing that he was suddenly panic-stricken. He was also unaware that Mallory had just walked up as the question was asked. She was standing quietly behind them in the doorway, waiting just as patiently as Henry for an answer.

“Henry, I’m going to tell you something that may or may not be easy for you to understand. Okay?” His son nodded and Chris hoped that he could get this all out just the right way. “Your mom and I dated a long time ago and we were extremely happy. But something happened and we split up. I can’t really explain all of that to you right now but just know that we didn’t talk to each other for many years.”

“Why not?”

“She moved away and then I did, too. We didn’t keep in touch and yeah, it’s sad that we didn’t. But we met up again in Boston and while we both still have feelings for one another, we are different people now. So, it’s hard for us to just pick up where we left off. And the decisions your mom makes now, she has to take you into consideration, and sometimes it doesn’t go along with what I want the choice to be.”

Chris took a deep breath and tried to figure out if what he was saying was making sense. He had a feeling he wasn’t getting through to him. But then again, Henry was smart and maybe he understood all too well.

“Henry, we don’t fight because of you. It isn’t your fault, don’t think that at all. Your mom and I are just trying to figure out how to make it work for us. For instance, I want you both to move to Boston. It’s where my family is and where your mom is from originally. It’s a great city and I think you would love it there. I’ve got a big family and you would have so many people around you. But your mom wants you guys to always stay in Atlanta.”

“Boston sounds like fun, but I would miss Atlanta,” Henry said woefully, “But it would be really great to have a big family!”

“So, see your mom and I just need to work on big people problems, but it is all to make sure we are thinking of you. We aren’t fighting because of you. Do you understand that?”

“Yeah, I think so. Chris?” Henry said reluctantly, “I’d really like for you to marry my mom and be my dad.”

Those words made Chris’s heart clinch and he almost couldn’t breathe. It took him a minute to gain his composure to respond, “Oh, buddy, I’d love nothing more,” he pulled Henry into an embrace and willed for the tears to not fall from his eyes. 

Mallory cleared her throat to make her presence known. “Good morning, boys! I can’t believe you didn’t wake me up,” she walked over to Henry and kissed the top of his head, “How are you, sweetie?”

“I’m good, Mom. I made coffee this morning and I’ve been talking to Chris.”

“Yeah, I see that,” she replied as she walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup. She turned back and noticed Chris didn’t have a cup yet, “Want some?” He nodded and she pulled another mug from the cabinet. She poured his cup and walked it over and sat it in front of him, no words being exchanged.

Henry just watched the two of them, wondering why they weren’t talking. “I think I’m going to go upstairs and play my video games. Is that okay?”

“Sure, but take a shower first and make your bed.”

Henry let out a sigh and rolled his eyes and then took off running for the stairs. Once they heard his feet stomping up the steps and heard the door, either the bathroom or the bedroom, slam shut, they knew it would be safe to talk.

“So, what did you hear?” Chris asked as he took a sip of coffee.

Mallory took a sip of her coffee to delay answering. “I heard him ask if you and I fight because of him. He was asking that as I walked up. I didn’t realize he knew we were arguing, I tried to keep that from him.”

“Yeah, I know. But he’s smart, you said that yourself,” Chris took another sip of his coffee and watched her reaction. 

“You handled the answer beautifully. You might have this dad thing down after all,” she gave him a brief smile and then turned away to go and doctor her coffee. It provided an opportunity to divert her eyes from him, she didn’t want him to see her tear up.

“It doesn’t mean he can’t love both of us, you know that, right?” Chris asked, knowing instinctively where her thoughts were going. “Just because he starts to care for me and puts me in his heart, doesn’t mean he’s kicking you out.”

Mallory pulled her shoulders back, straightening her posture, “Yeah, I know that.”

“Then act like it, because you seem to act like you’d be losing him forever if he finds out who I am.” Chris waited to see if she would turn around and start yelling at him, but she didn’t. He then wondered if her shoulders would begin to shake, giving herself away that she was sobbing; she didn’t do that, either. “You know, maybe with his declaration, we should go ahead and tell him the truth. Thanksgiving is a good holiday for that sort of thing.”

This garnered a reaction from her, she spun around and looked at him. “Absolutely not,” she fought to keep her voice quiet, not wanting Henry to hear her and some running downstairs. “I don’t want to do it at the holidays.”

“Come on, Mallory, he’s grown so much since the last time I saw him. You’re keeping him away from me, he’s mine, and I deserve to have time with him. He deserves to know me, know that I’m here for him and that he has a large family that is dying to meet him.”

“He needs to get to know you more before we spring it on him.”

“You realize how asinine that sounds, right? It isn’t going to matter whether he likes me or not, the fact that I’m his dad can’t be changed.” He watched for her reaction, but she didn’t have one. She was almost unemotional, which was scaring him. “Mallory, you realize that the longer you lie to him, the more you risk your relationship. He will hate that you kept it hidden as long as you did, especially after I came into the picture.”

“I know,” she murmured and she dropped her head. “But I don’t want him to hate me at Christmas.”

“But you’re keeping me from enjoying Christmas as a dad,” he replied back to her. He put his coffee mug back on the counter and went into the living room to pick up his bags. He said nothing as he walked up the steps, toward the guest room where he would be staying for the next few days. 

~ * ~

When Chris came back downstairs later in the day, Mallory was in the kitchen. He could tell she had showered and changed her clothes. She had her hair done up in a messy ponytail and had a light dusting of makeup. He didn’t think she needed makeup, but she probably put it on to make herself feel better, and for that, he wasn’t going to complain. She was cutting up carrots and celery, his guess was she was prepping dressing for Thanksgiving dinner.

He took his seat from earlier, on a barstool across from where she was working. “Is there something I can do to help?” He offered, hoping that they could move past the situation from earlier that morning.”

“No, I’m good,” she responded. Her reply was short, although not necessarily terse or angry. “You can help yourself to anything in the refrigerator, you know if you’re hungry or thirsty.”

“Thanks, but I’m okay. Do you need me to run any errands for you? You need anything from the store, last minute shopping?”

She dropped her knife and looked up at him, “Look, I’m not angry, I’ve moved on. So, you don’t need to try and weasel your way into my good graces or anything. Just stop.”

He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to take that, “Alright, got it. I thought I was just being polite and trying to help.” He stood up and started to make his way out of the kitchen. He wasn’t going to continue to fight with her and she evidently needed time to work out her frustrations. He had only taken a few steps when he felt her hand on his arm.

“Wait,” she said, her voice was pleading. “I can’t keep doing this.” When Chris turned around, Mallory reached up, placing her hand on the base of his neck and pulling him towards her. She put her lips on his, soft and gentle, but he could feel the hunger. 

Chris took control and deepened the kiss, pulling her closer to his body. She did not fight him. Instead, she wrapped her other arm around is waist and held him to her. She didn’t want it to end, the feeling of him against her, she had longed for this. Amid all of the fighting, was this, a strong sexual desire that she needed to unleash. 

He pulled away from her, needing to catch his breath. “You can’t keep doing what?” He managed to ask.

“Needing you and pushing you away. Fighting and denying what I want,” she whispered back against his neck. 

“You realize, Henry could walk in here at any moment and find us like this, right?”

“Yeah,” she let out a laugh. “But I don’t think you want to walk away right now, do you?” She rubbed against him, the stiffness in his jeans causing him to let out a groan.

“Fuck,” he said as she moved against him one more time. He buried his head in her hair and proceeded to nibble on her ear, “I’m going to make you pay for that later.”

Mallory made her way back over to the counter where she continued to cut up her vegetables and Chris tried to take his seat. It was going to be a long day!

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	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is NSFW and marked as 18+ since it has adult content. If you are offended by sexual material, please skip this chapter.

It was early Thanksgiving morning and Mallory was in the kitchen preparing the turkey and pies. While she had worked on the preparation of the side dishes ahead of time, it was tradition to get up early to start cooking. She had always done this with her aunt and she wasn’t willing to forgo the tradition. Personally, she liked the idea of eating early on the holiday and snacking on leftovers throughout the day versus having the meal as a dinner in the early evening.

She’d allowed Chris and Henry to sleep in, there was nothing they could do right now, anyway. She had just finished mixing the pies and was prepared to pour them into the pie crust when she felt Chris’ lips on her neck. His warm breath and soft lips made her melt. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her back into his hard body.

“How did you get out of bed without waking me up?” He murmured in her ear and then nuzzled into her neck.

A smile crossed Mallory’s face, “I told you I was getting up to go to the bathroom,” she put the bowl down and turned in his arms so she could face him, “Which I did, by the way. I just decided that, while I was up, I should go ahead and get started on the food. If I came back to bed, I might get, um,” she licked her lips and ran a finger down his bare chest, “Distracted and then I wouldn’t want to get out of bed at all.”

“Oh, so I distract you?” He kissed her behind her ear and began trailing kisses down her neck. She tilted her head to the side, allowing him access to her neck, and giving her permission for whatever he might want to do. “Well, I’m sorry for the distraction, but I didn’t hear any complaints last night.”

She let out a whimper, “No, no complaints.”

“Would you like me to stop so you can finish with your pies?” He asked as he continued to lavish her with attention.

“No…I mean, yes.” She giggled like a schoolgirl, unsure of when the last time she had flat out giggled like that had been. “I need to get these in the oven.” She turned back around to finish assembling the pies and then moved them into the oven. She set the timer and turned back to Chris, “You need to go and put a shirt on because you can’t hang out in the kitchen half-naked.”

“Why not, does it distract you?” He asked as he started to gyrate his hips and dance in front of her.

“Dear God, you’re a goofball! Why in the hell am I remotely interested in you?”

“Because I’m sexy,” he stopped dancing and moved toward her. “And I’m a great kisser and your life would suck without me.”

“You’re paraphrasing Kelly Clarkson now? Oy, Evans, you need help.”

This time it was his turn to start laughing, “I’m going up and shower and get dressed. Can you live without me for twenty minutes?”

She put her arm across her eyes and tossed her head back, “Oh my goodness, however, will I manage for twenty long minutes? My life will cease to exist for the time you are gone from my presence.”

“You’re such a drama queen,” he shouted at her as he walked out of the room and headed toward the steps.

~ * ~

Mallory worked to pull the other side dishes out of the refrigerator and set them on the counter; she wanted them to come to room temperature before putting them into the oven. She also started to work on the dishes that needed to be fixed at the last minute. As she worked, Henry came downstairs and she was surprised to see that he had already showered and dressed for the day. He was wearing khaki pants and a blue button-up shirt, he looked so handsome and grown up.

“Hey, where’s Chris?” Henry asked as he glanced around the room.

“He’s upstairs getting a shower and getting dressed. He should be back down here any minute,” Mallory wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and looked at her son as he stood in front of her. “I was afraid I’d have to yell up there and wake you up, so this is a pleasant surprise. You look so handsome, Henry.”

“Well, I knew Chris was getting ready. I thought he would have beaten me downstairs. He’s the one who woke me up and told me to get up and get ready,” Henry walked over and inspected the dishes that were waiting to go into the oven. “He said you might need some help, so I should come down. What do you need me to do?”

Before Mallory could respond, Chris entered the kitchen and she noticed he was wearing an outfit almost identical to Henry’s. Chris was wearing khaki pants, but he was dressed in a denim button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the middle of his forearm. Which showed off his perfectly formed arms, and made Mallory’s heart skip a beat or three. When she regained her composure, Henry’s words once again sunk in. Chris had gone in and to awaken Henry, that was her job, and he was slowly inserting himself into the parental duties. And now, seeing that they were dressed alike, was this some sort of game for him? Mallory had to keep from finding ways to sabotage things.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Chris asked as he stood in the doorway. He propped his arm up on the door and posed, which did nothing for Mallory’s heart or her attempts to not swoon.

“Did you and Henry seriously coordinate your wardrobe?” Mallory finally asked with a chuckle.

“No, it is a coincidence, I promise. Great minds think alike, that’s all,” Chris stepped away from the door and reached for Mallory’s arm, pulling her close. “I take it you find it a little unsettling?” He whispered in her ear so that Henry couldn’t hear his comment.

Mallory slowly shook her head, “I guess you two really are alike.” She put her hands on his chest and gently pushed Chris away. “Okay, guys, the turkey has some time left and the pies are done. So, for now, we’re done in the kitchen.”

“What about the sides, mom?” Henry asked as he pulled grapes out of the refrigerator and started popping them in his mouth.

“I’ll put them in the oven when the turkey comes out. For now, go watch your football pregame shows or whatever, I’ve got it under control.”

“This is why you’re the best,” Chris said as he bent down to give her a quick kiss before turning and heading towards the family room with Henry.

Mallory watched as the guys got comfortable on the couch and settled into frenetic football talk. Chris looked so comfortable as Henry’s father. She could easily see this as their ‘normal’ life. Could it be this easy to have what she has always wanted? She sat at the breakfast bar and quickly typed out a text to Darby.

Happy turkey day, hope you have a good one! It’s weird having this one as a ‘family.’

It only took a minute before her phone chimed with Darby’s response.

Gobble gobble – hope you have a good day, too! Go with it Mal, this could be the start of something good.

Mallory knew that Darby was right, she needed to stop overthinking it. While they watched football, Mallory went about straightening up the kitchen and cleaning up her earlier mess. The turkey had another hour to go before it would be ready to remove from the oven. She was avoiding the family room, for now, she wanted to keep herself busy and away from the temptation of sitting next to Chris.

Mallory moved to the dining room and spread the tablecloth on the table. She couldn’t remember the last time she had used it but figured this was as good a time as any. She even broke out the fancy candle holders and tapers, to set the perfect mood. It didn’t take long to have the table set with the fancy plates, napkins, and silverware. When she walked out of the dining room, she noticed that Chris and Henry were wrestling in the family room and Henry was laughing hysterically.

Chris was wearing down her resolve, and she had to wonder if this was his game plan. Damn, she couldn’t help but second guessing every move he was making, she knew she had to stop. Just like Darby said, she needed to just go with it. But it was so much easier to say than to do. The timer on the oven told her it was about time to take the turkey out. She went over to check on it, and sure enough, it was ready to come out. She lifted the beautifully browned bird out of the oven and sat it on the stovetop. For once, it actually looked like the turkeys in the magazines and commercials.

Mallory turned the heat up on the oven and slid her sweet potatoes in and then walked over to the family room. She raised her voice so that she could get the attention of Chris and Henry, “Guys!” Both of them turned around looked at her as if they were caught doing something they shouldn’t be. “I’m going upstairs to get a shower and get dressed. The potatoes are in the oven and the timer is set for thirty minutes. Do you think you can listen for them to go off and get them out and put the dressing in?”

Chris and Henry both looked at one another as if they weren’t really sure. Then, without a word, they stood up and gave a mock salute. “Yes ma’am,” they said in unison.

Chris walked over to Mallory and kissed her cheek, “You look beautiful but go ahead and take your shower, we got this. Potatoes out of the oven, dressing in, that seems easy enough.”

“We’ve got it, mom!” Henry chimed in.

“The two of you actually scare me and I’m not sure I really trust you,” she glanced at both of them. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed, knowing she had no choice.

~ * ~

Thirty-five minutes later, Mallory walked back downstairs to find music playing, Chris had turned on the satellite radio. He had picked one of the softer music stations, and he was softly singing as he moved around the kitchen. She watched as he moved the carcass of the turkey to the trash bag and tied it up. He then called Henry over, asking him to take the bag to the cans outside. She noticed he had the entire turkey carved and plated, the potatoes were on the stove and the dressing was in the oven. He had even put the cranberry sauce on the stove to reduce. How did he know to do that?

When Henry came back in the two of them immediately set to pulling on the wishbone. Mallory placed her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at them. She was fearful that one of them would pull too hard and stumble backward and knock over part of dinner and make an enormous mess. Amazingly it did not happen, but Henry did jump back and exclaim, “I win!”

Mallory used this as her window of opportunity to announce her arrival in the kitchen, “Well, I see I missed some excitement while I was upstairs,” Henry and Chris both turned to look at her.

“We had to keep ourselves entertained, you were taking too long to get ready,” Chris joked as he flashed a wide grin at her.

“Is my dressing in the oven?”

“Yes, ma’am, just as you instructed. You don’t mind that I went ahead and carved the turkey, right?”

“Well, now’s a hell of a time to ask, don’t ya think?”

“She’s got ya there, Chris,” Henry shot back at him. Chris shot him a look like he wondered why Henry didn’t have his back. Henry began laughing and figured he should leave the kitchen before his mom and Chris got all mushy with one another; he wanted no part of that! Henry was surprised to see that they began working in-sync to finish plating up dinner and moving it over to the dining room. He pitched in to do his part and, before long, they were ready to eat.

As they took their seats around the table, Henry asked if he could lead them in prayer. Mallory was beaming with pride and nodded with approval. They joined hands and bowed their heads.

“Bless us oh, Lord for this wonderful food that we can use to nourish our body and soul. Thank you for allowing us to spend this holiday with our good friend Chris. May this be the start of a new and wonderful holiday tradition for our family, Amen.”

Chris was speechless, and from the look on Mallory’s face, she felt the same way. Henry, oblivious to their reactions, dug right into the food, filling his plate.

~ * ~

Once dinner had concluded, Mallory sent Chris and Henry in to watch football while she cleaned up the dishes. They had both offered to help, but she wanted the solitude. She figured they could continue to bond over football and she would be able to move freely around the kitchen. She could hear the two of them yelling at the screen and being emotionally invested in a football game that didn’t involve teams that either of them followed. Mallory had to admit it was cute; she could not remember ever seeing Henry that excited to watch football before.

When the kitchen was clean, she stood at the back of the couch and watched the game over their shoulders. Chris looked up, seeing Mallory standing behind him and reached up for her hand. “Hey, come around here and watch the game with us. There is a spot on the couch with your name on it.”

“Come on mom, it’ll be fun!” Henry goaded her to join them and she just couldn’t resist.

Mallory walked around to the front of the couch and took a seat next to Chris. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. While Mallory sat on one side, Henry sat on the other, it really did look like the perfect family picture. Suddenly Mallory began to get hot, she knew she was flushing with fear. She tried to steady her breathing and hoped that Chris didn’t sense her rising panic. The idea that this was becoming real scared the hell out of her even more than it had earlier in the day.

As she tried to cast her fears aside, she focused instead on the conversation between Chris and Henry. They were laughing and talking about the players and the game. Mallory could not get over how comfortable Henry seemed to be with Chris. Henry had only known him for six weeks or so, but the bond was undeniable. It was as if the guys forgot she was in the room, they didn’t include her in the conversations and she was starting to feel like their guest, a stranger in her own home.

Mallory wiped her hands on her jeans and pushed herself to stand up. Chris was startled that she had moved and gave her a surprised look. “Since you guys are watching football, I’m going to go upstairs and relax a little, maybe read my book. Let you two bond over the pigskin,” she turned to walk away, but Chris reached for her hand.

“Please stay down here with us,” his voice almost sounded as if he was pleading. “I’d hate to think we’re running you off. Henry, should we watch something else so your mom stays down here?”

“We can, I don’t care,” Henry quickly agreed.

Mallory smiled, knowing that it was not what either one of them wanted, but they were trying to be polite. “It’s okay, I’m not mad. Look, I woke up with the roosters to start cooking so I’m tired. I’m going to put on my jammies and read my book in bed, I’ll be all right,” she walked over and kissed Henry’s head. She moved to Chris and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, keeping it PG rated since Henry was sitting right there. “I’ll see you guys in the morning, just don’t stay up too late.”

As Mallory entered her bedroom, she slowly shut the door and crossed the room to turn on the soft lighting of the bedside lamps. She was able to make her way across the room in the dark, she was used to it by now. She had finally learned the right steps to take to avoid banging her knee into the large oak footboard of the bed, it only took slamming into it four or five times before she decided not to do that any longer. She pulled her dresser drawer open and pulled out a long-sleeve t-shirt and a pair of sleep pants and stepped into the bathroom to change her clothes and get ready for bed.

Mallory stepped back into the bedroom, folded the covers back on the bed and stacked the pillows to prop her up so she could read her book. She didn’t care about the romance book that she had been carrying around for the last few days. In all honesty, she had only gotten to chapter three because she was too easily distracted by Chris and the things that were going on in the house. Right now, the thing distracting her the most was the fact that she suddenly felt like she was ‘playing house’ with Chris. It was so easy to fall into the comfort of having him here and doing fatherly things with Henry. But it brought up the nagging reality that everything would be in jeopardy when the truth came out.

Mallory then began to doubt the decision to come upstairs. What if Chris was using the opportunity he had with Henry to undermine her job as a parent? Chris wanted Henry to know he was his father and had been pushing Mallory to come clean. What if he was doing all he could to ingratiate himself with Henry so that it would make her look even worse than she already feared? Her mind was already working overtime and going in a million directions over the decision to tell Henry the truth. Chris was certain that Mallory was holding back just to be spiteful, but spite had no place in the equation. There were larger issues at play and unfortunately Chris didn’t fully grasp the severity of them, so it was harder for him to understand her hesitancy.

Her heart and brain were struggling against one another. Her brain said it was the right thing to do, tell Henry the truth and understand it could lead to a potentially happy ending for everyone. Sure, Henry might be upset at first, but he would come around. Besides, he liked Chris and Mallory was sure he would not be upset to find out he was his father. It was her heart that had put up its defenses and wanted to go to war. Her heart didn’t want to get broken when Henry got angry over the lies and shouted that he hated her. It was her heart that couldn’t take the pain of Henry turning his back on her and running towards the open arms of his dad, the cool new parent who happened to be a superhero. It was her heart that worried if this played out the wrong way, she could end up losing both Chris and Henry.

Mallory realized she was overthinking everything and probably overreacting when she jumped at the sound of her door opening. She had been thinking about this for so long that she had lost track of time, Henry was peeking his head in the door, “Hey baby, you scared me to death.”

Henry hung his head and slowly opened the door a little wider and entered her bedroom. Mallory motioned for him, he came over and crawled up on the bed next to her, “I wasn’t trying to scare you, I just wanted to come in and say goodnight. The games are over and we’re going to bed.”

Mallory squeezed Henry tight, not wanting to let him go. She eventually loosened her grip, knowing if she didn’t he would complain she was hugging too hard. “Did you enjoy watching the games with Chris?”

“Oh yeah, he’s a big football fan, so I had a blast,” Henry turned and looked up at his mom, “You could have stayed down there with us, we didn’t mind.” He then turned back and snuggled into Mallory like he had done when he was younger.

“Oh, I know, but I didn’t want to spend the night with smelly boys,” Mallory joked and then kissed Henry’s head. She loved spending time with him like this, it was a special time that she never wanted to lose. “I figured it was more important for you two to have guy time. Where’s Chris?”

“Right here,” a voice came from the door. He was leaning against the doorway, his hand in his pants pockets. For a moment Mallory forgot how to breathe, Chris looked gorgeous just standing there. She wanted him to join her and Henry on the bed, although she figured it would be highly inappropriate. “I wanted to say good night and let you know I made sure the doors were all locked before I came up.”

Mallory nodded, “Thanks, I appreciate that. Good night, Chris, sleep well.”

“Good night, Chris,” Henry added, “See you in the morning.”

“Night, buddy, see you in the morning.” Chris pushed himself off the doorway and made his way toward his bedroom. As he changed his clothes, he listened for the closing of Mallory’s door and then the closing of Henry’s door.

Chris had slept with Mallory the night before, and he was hoping she would be up for a repeat performance. He quietly made his way down the hall and gently knocked on Mallory’s door, then opened it enough to peek his head in. “Hey, are you still awake?”

Mallory was still sitting in bed with lights on and reading her book. She placed it on the nightstand and moved over on the bed, “Yeah, I’m awake, come in.” Mallory had been hoping that Chris would return to her room. She couldn’t proposition him to return when Henry had been there, but it had crossed her mind to go to his room. The man had her running hot and cold; right now, she was running very hot.

Chris bit his lip and tentatively stepped into the room, he was suddenly nervous. Although, he was unsure as to why, it wasn’t as if he had never spent the night with Mallory before. She sat up on the bed and patted the mattress next to her, inviting him to join her on the bed. Chris needed to maintain control, he wasn’t trying to get into her panties, so he took a seat near the footboard.

“Tell me, why didn’t you stay downstairs and watch the games with us? Did I do something to run you off?” Chris asked shyly, his gaze drifting up her body and eventually locking eyes with her.

“No, you didn’t run me off. It’ funny, Henry asked me why I didn’t stay to watch the game. I told him it was so you two could have some guy time, but I figured you would rather just have some father-son time,” she broke their locked gaze and turned to stare at the wall, “You obviously don’t need me around for that.”

“It was sweet of you to think that way, but you could have stayed. Instead of father-son time, it would have just been family time,” Chris leaned forward, reaching for her hand. “Mallory, I don’t want you ever to feel you have to run off, you have to know how I feel about you and that I want you around, right?”

Mallory moved to free her legs from under the covers and sat up on her knees, inching closer to where Chris was sitting. The electricity she felt when Chris touched her hand had given her the courage to move. Mallory leaned in towards him and whispered in Chris’s ear, “You need to go close and lock the bedroom door. I’d really hate for our son to walk in on us,” her voice was seductive, and Chris had a hard time swallowing the lump in his throat.

Chris immediately moved from the bed and took the several strides to get to the door. He turned back around after locking it and moved toward the bed. Chris reached over his head and grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled it off. Mallory began to laugh at him, “You know, you could have just unbuttoned it.”

“Hell no, would’ve taken too long,” Chris remarked as if she should have known that already. He reached for the button on his khakis and then stopped. He looked at Mallory who had not moved and had not even made an attempt to undress. She was watching him intently, even licking her lips unconsciously, but remaining fully clothed. “Mallory?”

“Hmmm?” She responded, without hesitation.

“Why am I the only one getting undressed?” He took two steps closer to the bed, “Did I misunderstand what you were wanting?” Mallory shook her head and was biting her bottom lip. “So, why am I getting naked and you’re not?”

She sat up a taller on her knees, pulling her long sleeve t-shirt over her head, dropping it to the floor on the other side of the bed. Chris crooked his finger and motioned for her to come closer. She moved to the edge of the bed where he could quickly wrap his arms around her waist and pull her body close to his. Their bare chests meeting as his lips crashed into hers.

Mallory reached for Chris’s pants, unzipping them and trying to push them down off his hips. He broke the kiss long enough to push away from her and shed his trousers. He then put her back on the bed, grabbed hold of the waistband of her sleep pants and pulled them and her panties down in one swift motion. He admired her naked form splayed out on the bed in front of him. Chris gently pulled her toward the edge of the bed and spread her legs.

“Fuck, you are beautiful,” he whispered to her as he leaned over her body and trailed soft kisses down her neck. He ran his hands along her skin, ghosting over her body. She was responding in kind with moans of delight. He cupped her breasts, massaging them before taking her nipples into his mouth and sucking them into hard pebbles. He planned on worshipping her body and enjoying every moment.

He slowly worked his way down her body with feather-like touches and with soft kisses. His hand stopped right at her thigh and he raised his head to look at her, “So, if I move my hand between your legs, am I going to see how turned on you are?” His question was playful, but he knew the answer before he asked. Mallory’s body began to writhe beneath him before he’d even touched her, she was aching for him. His fingers parted her soft folds and he could feel how wet she was, her juices coating his fingers. “Is all this for me?” Chris asked in a low, sexy growl.

Mallory couldn’t actually form words; his touch was too much. She tried to nod her head, but Chris really didn’t need her response, he obviously had his answer already. He slipped one finger inside of her and as he slowly began to slide it in and out, her hips began to undulate. Chris definitely knew she was enjoying it, so he slid a second finger inside, and this time she arched her back off the bed and started to beg softly, “Please don’t stop. Oh, Chris, that feels so good.”

Chris moved, positioning himself to kneel on the floor between her legs. While he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her wet core, he took her clit into his mouth. The sensation of his mouth on her was almost too much for Mallory, she grabbed hold of the sheets, fisting them in her hands. Chris was taking his time, relishing the fact that he was making her body react this way. Mallory’s body continued to writhe beneath his touch and then finally screamed out, “Right there, don’t stop, fuck, right there, Chris.”

Chris could feel Mallory tightening around him, her orgasm building. He curled his fingers as he moved in and out, hitting her g-spot and she immediately shattered under him. Chris felt the wave of her climax and Mallory held her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream as she came. Instinct made her want to close her thighs around Chris’s head, but he had the presence of mind to move his hand to her thigh to keep that from happening. Chris could feel her legs quiver and her body quake and took the opportunity to lap up the flood of juices she offered to him.

As Mallory came down from her intense orgasm, Chris moved up her body, placing soft kisses and watching as her body reacted to every one. It was as if every kiss sent an electrical shock through her system, she gasped and her skin got goosebumps. Chris looked into her eyes and Mallory smiled back at him before he kissed her; she could taste herself on his lips and smell herself in his beard. It was wildly erotic. “I’ll be right back,” Chris whispered softly in her ear, “I’ll get a washrag to clean you up, okay?”

Mallory smiled in response because she wasn’t able to form words. Her limbs felt like jelly and she didn’t trust herself to even attempt to move. She heard the water turn off in the bathroom, and a moment later Chris was back at her side. Mallory felt the warm rag between her legs and thought it was so considerate of him to take care of her.

As Chris took the washcloth back to the bathroom, Mallory gained enough strength to move on the bed so that her head was on the pillows; she was lying on her side for Chris to come and take his place next to her. He did just as she had hoped, lying beside her taking his hand and gently sweeping her hair off her face and behind her ear. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Chris asked, Mallory’s eyes were glistening as she watched him carefully.

Mallory edged closer to him, twining her legs with his and wrapping her arms around his firm body. She loved how sculpted and amazing he looked. The workouts Chris did for various movie roles had definitely done a body good. Not that there was anything wrong with the way he looked when they dated years ago, but now he was more chiseled and defined. His biceps made her feel safe; she ran her finger down his arm, tracing the veins that were clearly visible and were such a turn on


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is NSFW and marked as 18+ since it has adult content. If you are offended by sexual material, please skip this chapter.

Mallory and Chris were in bed, their bodies entwined. As they laid there, looking into each other’s eyes, the desire in Mallory was building and she could not help but want to touch him. She tilted her head and kissed along his neck then ran her hand along his jaw, followed by kisses where she had touched. Chris loved the attention, it was erotic. Mallory was slow and deliberate in her motions and he could feel his cock growing harder with every touch of her fingers and lips; he was aching to be inside her. He had refrained from taking her completely when he pleasured her earlier because he didn’t have a condom with him; this was not, after all, what he had come to Atlanta for.

Oh, Chris had hoped it could build to this. But their arguments had been so frequent that he was realistic that it was not a possibility. Just because they turned a corner recently didn’t mean that it would immediately become physical between them. His mother had said it was a possibility it was just foreplay and he had laughed it off. The fights were too personal and nasty for it just to be pent up sexual frustration. Hell, he slept with her the other night, tangled with one another, but had not actually had sex. Heavy petting, lots of kissing, but no penetration. They slept tangled in one another’s arms and it was the most peaceful sleep he’d had in awhile. But this, well, this was bliss.

Mallory gently pushed him onto his back, taking control of the moment. She laced her fingers with his and held his hands by his head, “Is this okay?” she had asked before she continued.

“Yeah,” he let out in a breathless reply.

She began to kiss down his neck and across his collarbone. She stopped when she got to his ink on his left clavicle. “Tell me about this one,” she said as she started to trace the words with her tongue. He was so lost in the sensation that he couldn’t form a cohesive thought to answer her. “Was this after you started practicing Buddhism?”

He was panting, “Yeah, it reminds me,” he took a breath, “Oh fuck, Mallory.”

She sat up, still holding his hand down on the bed. She looked down into his gorgeous blue eyes which were clouded over with lust and desire. “Do you want me to stop, Chris? Should we have a safe word?”

He began to frantically shake his head, “No, don’t stop. No safe word,” his tried to calm his breathing, getting it back into a regular rhythm. “I got the tattoo to remind me to keep perspective.”

She continued to trail kisses down his torso and stopped at the Bardsley tattoo. She wasn’t going to do anything to that tattoo or even discuss it. She knew that the loss of his best friend was still hard for him to talk about. Tonight was about pleasure and seduction and she didn’t want to do anything to bring him down.

“I like the tattoos, but I see you’re getting rid of one on your arm. Don’t you like it anymore?” Mallory moved her hips, keeping her hand laced with his until she was positioned against his rigid cock. She heard him let out a gasp as she stopped moving. “Oh, you liked that didn’t you?” Mallory rocked forward, her hips gently rising off of his as she hovered over his body. As she rocked back, Mallory split herself by taking him inside her wet slit. She was tight and took him slowly; Mallory needed to be able to accept his girth, it had been years since she had been with a man and especially one of his size.

Chris let out a gasp of pleasure then immediately begged her to stop, “Mallory, stop, please, we need a condom. I don’t have one.”

“Shhh, it’s okay. I’m clean, I promise, I’ve not been with anyone since Henry was conceived,” she admitted to him.

“I’m not worried about whether your clean or not, I’m worried about,” he let out a groan as she continued to move down his shaft. When he opened his eyes and looked up, she was fully seated and staring at him with a big grin on her face. “Fuck, you’re beautiful. I’m more concerned with unplanned pregnancy. Isn’t that what got us into the mess in the first place.”

Mallory let out a chuckle, “Yeah, but I’m not worried about my parents kicking me out of the house or disowning me. Do I need to worry about you being clean?” She asked almost clinically.

“No, I’m good,” he answered.

“Now then, where was I?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. “Ah, yeah, I think I was right here,” she began to gyrate her hips, and for the first time, she let go of Chris’s hands. She had held onto them previously because she was afraid he would do what he could to stop her. She was determined that she was going to ride him and make him cum; there was no way he was going to stop her, so she had to keep his hands busy.

Mallory placed her hands on his chest to help hold herself up as she continued to move her hips. She loved how he filled her and the feeling of him inside her. She tossed her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying her measured movements. Mallory was so lost in the moment she couldn’t tell if the moans and gasps of pleasure were from her or from Chris. She just prayed they weren’t loud enough to wake up Henry. She felt Chris grab her hips to try and steady her. Mallory could feel her orgasm starting to build, but she wanted to hold out as long as possible. Suddenly she felt Chris trying to lift her so that he could begin pumping in and out of her; his motions were frenzied.

“Damn it, Mallory,” he grunted out, “I’m not going to last.”

Chris flipped her over; he was ready to take control. He kept Mallory’s legs bent and pushed her knees to her chest, giving him access to take what he wanted. And he took it, Chris pushed into her with powerful thrusts while he braced himself on either side of her body. He quickened his pace and looked down at her, commanding her to touch herself. As Mallory began circling her clit, her legs began to shake, and he could feel her clench around his dick. They both let go at the same time and Chris captured her scream of ecstasy with a searing kiss, making sure their pleasure didn’t wake their son.

Chris was unable to pull out of Mallory right away. He needed to calm his breathing and get his head to stop spinning. He gave her another kiss, this time softer and his tongue swept across hers. She could feel his cock twitch and she knew that, while they were both spent, the kiss was erotic enough to keep them turned on.

Chris pressed his forehead against Mallory’s and took a deep breath, “My God that was fucking incredible.” He slowly pulled out and fell to her side, helping her put her legs down, “Give me a minute then I’ll get another rag, I’m just not sure I can walk right now.”

Mallory was trying desperately to calm her own breathing. She had hoped the sex would be mind blowing, but it was better than even she had anticipated. “It’s okay, I can get up,” at least she thought she could. Mallory moved to the edge of the bed and tried to sit up, it took a minute before she could do it. She swung her legs off the side of the mattress and stood up, taking it slow, she held onto the bed as she walked around to make her way to the bathroom.

Mallory felt Chris’s eyes on her as she moved. She was sore, but it was well worth it. She had not been fucked for more than twelve years, and honestly, she didn’t remember it feeling this good the last time. She could feel their mixed release starting to trickle down her legs. Instead of just washing up with a rag, she thought a shower might be a better option. She sat on the toilet first, trying to expel her bladder and flush out the remainder of what had just happened. Then she ran the hot water for the shower and stepped in; if Chris wanted to join her she wasn’t going to complain, but she wasn’t going to invite him.

He had looked as if he was spent and Mallory figured he had passed out. She would take her shower and freshen up, this time she would be the one to take him a rag to clean up. Suddenly, Mallory’s mind began to race over the ramifications of what they had just done. What if Henry had heard them? How in the hell would she explain this to him? Then there was the other thought, no the fear, regarding their stunt. What if she did get pregnant? She’d played the scenario off to Chris, she wasn’t about to stop in the middle of what they were doing to run to the drug store for condoms. It’s true, they should have been safe and she should have been prepared. But it had not been on her mind to sleep with Chris while he was visiting. Hell, to be honest, she was against him coming to visit in the first place. She tried to make a joke about there not being anyone to kick her out of the house if she got pregnant. But Mallory wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of having another child, especially if things continued to be strained with Chris when it came to discussions about Henry. There was no way she needed to deal with two child support cases, from the same man, no less. She put her forehead on the tile of the shower and mentally kicked herself for not thinking things through.

Mallory had no idea how long she had been in the shower, but it was long enough to use up all of the hot water. As the water turned cold, she turned off the faucet and stepped out, toweling off and getting dressed. She had been able to keep her hair reasonably dry while in the shower, so she just ran a brush through it and then prepared to walk into the bedroom. Chris was snoring lightly and Mallory just watched him for a minute before getting a warm washcloth and approaching the bed. When the rag lightly touched Chris’s skin, his leg twitched, waking him up. He actually startled awake, almost like he wasn’t sure where he was. “It’s okay, babe, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to help clean you up,” Mallory murmured to him as she bent down to kiss his forehead.

“So, I didn’t dream all of that?” Chris asked, his voice thick with sleep.

She laughed lightly, “No, you didn’t dream it.”

“Why aren’t you in bed?”

“I took a shower and got dressed. I’m going to go check on Henry and come back to bed.”

“Ok, I’ll get up and take a shower,” Chris said, pulling himself into a seated position. He reached for Mallory and pulled her toward him, “No regrets, right?”

She tried not to let him see the fear that had gripped her when she was in the shower. “Absolutely not,” she leaned in for a kiss.

 

 

~ * ~

Mallory stood in the doorway of Henry’s room, watching him sleep. He didn’t look as if stirred a bit and she was thankful for that. She didn’t want to explain he had been awakened by the sounds of his mom having intense sex. Instead, her prevailing thought was she was lucky to have such an amazing kid. Mallory quietly closed Henry’s door walked back to her bedroom where she noticed Chris had emerged from his shower and straightened the bedroom. He cleared his clothes from the floor, folding them and putting them on top of the dresser.

Mallory gave him a curious look to which he replied, “I didn’t want Henry to see my clothes thrown everywhere. I wasn’t sure we were ready to explain this,” he motioned between the two of them and the bed, “just yet.”

“Yeah, good thinking,” Mallory replied honestly.

As Mallory entered the room and closed the door, Chris asked, “Are you planning on going Black Friday shopping?”

“Um, no! I’m not fighting the crowds for deals or getting beat up over a damn toy or game.”

Chris clutched his chest and let out a laugh, “Are you telling me you never fought anyone for a toy Henry wanted? Wow, you’re such a bad mommy.” Mallory playfully punched Chris in the shoulder. He then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a sensuous kiss. “But you are a bad mommy, you proved that earlier,” he growled in her ear as he trailed his lips softly down across the shell of her ear and then down her neck.

She let out a soft moan, “That’s funny, I thought you said I was good.” She let out another moan as he cupped her breast with one hand and placed soft kisses at the sweet spot behind her ear. “But now you say I’m bad?” Her words were breathy, and she was having trouble maintaining control.

“Yeah, any answer I give you will sound cheesy.” Chris scooped Mallory up in his arms and carried her over to the bed, “I could put you down softly and make love to you again.”

“You say that like there’s an alternative.”

And with those words he tossed her on the bed. Mallory burst into a fit of laughter and Chris crawled onto the bed after her. He grabbed her wrists and began wrestling with her. They were laughing, and after a few minutes she was pinned underneath him with her hands near her head. He stared down at her saying nothing at all but using the opportunity to gaze into her eyes.

“You know I love you, right?” Chris asked, his voice soft and sincere.

Mallory’s breath hitched and then she replied softly, “Yeah, I know, I love you, too.”

“Can I make love to you?” He trailed soft kisses down her neck while he waited for her answer.

It didn’t take long for her to moan softly, arch her back and push herself into him and say “Please.”

~ * ~

Mallory woke up with Chris’s arm draped across her. She tried to wiggle to get free, but he pulled her closer and wouldn’t let her go. She loved the feel of his arms around her, but she needed to use the bathroom and needed to get free. Each time Mallory attempted to wiggle free, Chris’s grip around her body got tighter.

Mallory rolled her eyes and then softly said, “Chris, you have got to let me go, I have to go pee.”

“No, I’m comfortable and you’re warm. I don’t wanna let you go,” he sounded like a whiny, petulant child.

“Well, you’ll get real warm when I pee all over you and I don’t think you’re into that kink. So, let me go!” He finally released her body and she took off running. He rolled over and watched as she hurried into the bathroom. After relieving herself, she came back to the door, “I’m jumping into the shower, what time is it?”

Chris looked at his phone and groaned, “6:45.”

“You might want to head back to your room before Henry wakes up,” she reminded him gently, “Unless you want to explain why you’re in my room.”

He groaned again as he pulled himself out of bed so he could make his way to his room. Mallory took her shower and went on with her morning routine as if nothing had happened last night. She made her way to Henry’s room and saw Chris exiting his own room. They exchanged a knowing glance but said nothing to one another. Chris made his way downstairs, and Mallory entered Henry’s room.

Once Mallory had roused Henry from his sleep, she joined Chris in the kitchen. He had made himself at home by starting breakfast and brewing coffee. Mallory walked up behind him and kissed his cheek before reaching for a coffee mug. Once she had her coffee poured, she took a seat at the bar to watch Chris do whatever it was he was doing.

Chris turned to look at Mallory and asked, “So, does Henry like french toast?”

“Um, yeah, why is that your specialty?”

“No, omelets are my specialty, but since you won’t eat them, I thought I’d come up with an alternative. Since I know you eat french toast or at least you used to,” he stopped and looked around the kitchen, “Where’s Henry?”

“He’ll be down in a few minutes, he’s taking a shower first,” Mallory grinned and took a sip of coffee, “Please, you were saying.”

Chris turned the heat down on the stove and walked over to where Mallory was sitting. He took a deep breath and then spoke words that would change the course for the day, “Mallory, we need to tell Henry the truth. It’s time we come clean because he deserves to know.” Chris watched for any immediate reaction from Mallory, and when he didn’t see one, he pressed forward. “And our family Disney trip is in the three weeks Mallory, I really want him to go.”

Mallory said nothing, she let the words sink in. She took a sip of her coffee and tried to maintain a sense of composure but the bright mood that she started the day with was starting to darken. She took a deep breath, and when she began to speak her tone was measured, “You and I had this discussion already, Chris and I thought I was pretty clear. I do not want to tell Henry until after Christmas. I’m not prepared to ruin my holiday, or his, by dropping this bombshell.”

Chris leaned forward, bracing himself on the bar, keeping his voice barely above a whisper in the event Henry came downstairs, “Why is it that you get to make all of the decisions? Shouldn’t I get a say in this?”

Mallory glanced over her shoulder before responding, “I make the decisions because I’m his mother or have you forgotten that? I don’t want him angry at me at Christmas. Is it too much to ask for one last happy holiday before it all blows up?”

The anger was building in Chris’s eyes, and it was taking everything within him not to explode. His words back to her were full of venom, “How in the hell could I forget he’s your son? You only remind me regularly. But how about remembering he’s mine, too? Should I remind you of how many holidays you kept me from enjoying with my son? How many happy holidays I’ve missed?”

Before Mallory could respond, Henry came running into the kitchen and stopped suddenly. “Gross, what’s that smell? Is something burning?”

Chris quickly turned around, realizing he burned the first batch of french toast. He tossed the burnt breakfast into the sink and turned off the stove. “I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. Sorry, buddy, can you just eat some cereal?”

“Yeah, sure,” Henry noticed that Chris didn’t look very happy.

Chris ran his hand through Henry’s hair, messing it as he walked out of the kitchen without saying a word. He had no doubt that Mallory knew he was angry with her. Hours ago they were wrapped in each other’s arms and he was ready to take her to the courthouse and marry her. Now, Chris was angry, and he didn’t want to look at her.

“Mom, what’s wrong with Chris?”

“We just had a little disagreement about something. It’ll be okay,” she tried to soothe the fear she saw in his expression. But Mallory knew that wasn’t the case. She eased herself off the barstool and cleaned up the mess Chris had created. “What do you want for breakfast, baby?” She asked, her demeanor changing and pretending as if Chris had never even been in the kitchen.

~ * ~

Mallory infuriated him, but Chris tried not to stomp up the stairs. He also made sure not to slam the bedroom door, it was childish, and he didn’t want to give her the pleasure of knowing how upset he was. He reached into his backpack, retrieving his laptop and firing it up so he could write an email to his attorney, Rebecca.

Chris wanted her to give her a status update of the situation with Mallory. He had told her that he was going to Atlanta and he hoped things would work out between the two of them. Now he had to tell her that those hopes had been dashed and he didn’t believe they’d be able to work anything out without going to court. He was ready to petition the court to be put on Henry’s birth certificate. Of course, before he could do that, he needed to have the paternity test done and Rebecca was helping with that as well. Mallory would never agree to test Henry so he would have to find a way to do this without her. He figured he could take a toothbrush or a water bottle, Rebecca could give him a suggestion. He knew he could get the court to force her to subject Henry to the test, but he wanted to do the testing without Henry’s involvement, if possible. He wanted to have as much done as possible before they had to tell Henry everything, Chris thought it might make things easier in the long run.

The petition for him to be put on the birth certificate could not be filed until the paternity test results were back. The court would want proof that he was, in fact, Henry’s father before they modified the birth record. Most labs take up to six weeks to do DNA tests, but he wasn’t about to wait that long. When you have means you can get an independent lab to rush the tests. And there was no doubt, Chris Evans had the means and the motivation.

After sending Rebecca’s email, he sent an email to his agent. Chris had already made Jim aware of Henry and his previous relationship with Mallory. But he figured it was best to give him a heads up about a looming custody battle before everything hit the proverbial fan. If Jim was aware from the beginning, then the PR nightmare could be contained or at least prepared for instead of trying to deal with after the fact. Once those two emails were out of the way, Chris decided to call his mom. He hadn’t spoken to her since he arrived in Atlanta and right now he could use a friendly voice.

“Well hello, Chris. Glad to see you remembered my number,” Lisa Evans joked as she answered the phone, her voice was bright and chipper, the complete opposite of his mood.

“Oh ha ha, yeah, I remembered your number. How are ya? I didn’t catch you out shopping did I?”

“I’m good. No, I’m home with the kids, Carly and Ryan went out, though. So, tell me, how are things in Atlanta?”

Chris let out an audible sigh, he didn’t mean to, but he figured it would give her a precursor for how this conversation would go. “Things are good, I guess. I can’t get over how much Henry’s grown since I saw him last time. I’m telling you, Ma, it’s gonna kill me to leave him,” Lisa could sense the sadness in her son’s voice even if he were trying to remain upbeat and positive. “We’re spending so much time together, as a matter of fact, we watched football all day yesterday. Henry is so smart and he can talk about anything and everything; I forget he’s mine.”

“He sounds like you, maybe you just don’t see that in yourself,” Lisa said quietly. She paused, letting that sink in because she felt the same way about her children. Clearing her throat she asked, “And his mother? How’s Mallory doing?”

Chris remained quiet, not entirely sure how to explain it all to his mom. “Eh, she’s okay I guess. One minute I’m madly in love with her and the next, I want to smack her.”

“I take it you two are still arguing over custody? Have you told Henry you’re his father yet?”

“No, that’s what we’re fighting about right now. I want to tell him and she still says not until after Christmas.”

Lisa’s blood pressure was beginning to spike and she was losing patience over this. She wanted to sit down and talk to Mallory herself and make her realize how much she was hurting Chris. “What about just doing it anyway? She’s made parental decisions without your input for twelve years, now it’s your turn.”

Chris could not believe his mother was suggesting the idea. If he were honest, she had a point. The only thing that concerned him was the impact it could have on the custody battle. Maybe he should send another email to Rebecca and ask that question. “You have a point, Ma, I just don’t want to hurt my court case. I walked away from her before I said something I would regret and I’m trying to cool down. I want Mallory to agree to let Henry come to Disney with us in three weeks.”

“Well, good luck with that, Chris. But if she doesn’t want to tell Henry that you’re his father then she isn’t going to want him to hang out with your family where that information could slip out.”

“I offered to pay for her to take him the same week we go. He wouldn’t technically be on vacation with us so it would reduce the risk of us being photographed together. I think that’s her biggest concern, the fear we’ll be seen together and someone will figure out he’s mine before we tell him. I told her we could hang out together at night, but during the day we do things separately.”

“Was she open to that idea? It seems like a reasonable compromise,” Lisa offered, she was trying to be supportive, but this entire situation was hard to digest. She hated that Chris was dealing with this and just wished it could be easier.

“I suggested it before I came down here and I’m almost afraid to mention it now. I’ve been up here in my room trying to calm down, I guess I should go back downstairs and see where we stand.”

“Did Henry hear you two fighting?”

“No, he didn’t hear us, but he saw me walk off. I need to make sure he realizes it has nothing to do with him. I mean it does, but he doesn’t need to know to what extent,” Chris raked his hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh. This entire situation was starting to wear on him and he wasn’t going to be able to take much more of it. “Thanks, Ma, for listening to me and talking me through this.”

“You’re welcome, let me know how it goes.”

Chris disconnected the call and stared at his phone for a minute before putting it down and reaching for his laptop. He fired off one more email to Rebecca, asking about the consequences if he were to tell Henry he was his father without Mallory’s permission. He had wanted his ducks in a row before he did anything. Closing his laptop, he stood and exited his room and decided to rejoin Henry and Mallory downstairs.

~ * ~

Chris entered the family room and found Mallory and Henry curled up on the couch watching TV. Mallory didn’t even acknowledge the fact that he came into the room, but Henry did. “Hey, Chris! You wanna sit over here with me?”

Chris’s face lit up and he moved to the end of the couch were Henry was sitting. By taking the seat, he would be positioned directly in between Henry and Mallory; he was trying very hard not to touch her. The awkward silence in the room was broken by the ringing of Henry’s phone. He fumbled to answer it and got off the couch to go to the other room to talk.

Chris turned to look at Mallory, “We need to talk. I left the kitchen so we wouldn’t continue our fight in front of Henry, but we need to finish the conversation.”

Mallory gave a harsh look to Chris, “So, you want to pick a fight now while he’s out of the room? That makes a hell of a lot of sense.”

“No, I’m just telling you we need to continue the conversation. Obviously, I don’t want to do it when Henry is around, I’m just telling you that when we’re alone tonight, be prepared to discuss this further.”

Henry came bounding back into the room and stopped directly in front of his mom. He looked nervous, unsure of how to say what he wanted, but he just barreled ahead. “Mom, that was Noah on the phone and he’s invited me over to hang out and have dinner. Can I go?” Mallory didn’t answer immediately, she just stared at Henry. “Please, mom? His parents are home and his cousins are in from Colorado. We’re going to play football in the backyard and then eat. I wanna go, please.”

Mallory’s hesitation had nothing to with Henry’s going to Noah’s house and everything to do with being left alone in the house with Chris. “Yeah, you can go, but you have to call me to come pick you up. You know the rule, no walking home in the dark. And don’t overstay your welcome, do you understand me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Henry took off running and then turned around, “Thanks, mom!”

“How far away does this Noah boy live? Should I drive him over there?” Chris spoke up and offered, “I mean if you need to pick him up at night, is it safe for him to walk over there during the day?”

“Noah lives across the street and three houses down. I don’t like him crossing the street in the dark; I know that sounds ridiculous.” Mallory didn’t feel as if she needed to justify anything to Chris. “He’s okay to walk over during the daylight, but by all means, if you feel the need to play daddy, go right ahead and drive him over.” She couldn’t help the sarcasm that was thick in her response.

Before Chris could say anything back to her, Henry returned to the living room. If Henry heard what his mother had said, he elected not to make a comment about them. “Okay, I’m leaving and I’ll text you when I get over there so you know I made it safely,” he looked over at Chris, “She’s always worrying about me like she’s afraid I’ll run off or get abducted or something.”

“She loves you and mom’s worry because it’s their job,” Chris defended Mallory because five minutes ago he was worrying just like she was. “Have a good time,” he called out as Henry ran for the door.


	6. Chapter 6

As Henry ran out the door to head to Noah’s house, Mallory turned off the TV and stood up from the couch. As she began to walk toward the kitchen, Chris finally spoke up, “What’s your excuse now for not talking?”

Mallory stopped and looked over her shoulder, “Excuse me? He just left the house and you want to get into this already?”

“Why do you want to wait? Are you hoping I’ll just forget about it and it all will just miraculously disappear?” Chris was now standing and facing her, his hands resting on his hips and fire burning in his eyes. “I’m not dropping this, Mallory, we’re finishing this discussion.”

“Why do you have to keep pushing? Do you think I’m going to say something I haven’t said already?” Mallory was pleading with him, she kept her hands at her side but all she wanted to do was pull at her hair and scream.

“How about telling me why we’re still arguing about this? Why you’re so fucking unwilling to move? And why you have to be the only one making the decision when and how we tell Henry that I’m his father?” Chris was trying to keep his voice from rising, but he was losing the fight. As he was getting more upset, his voice was getting louder, his face was getting more flushed. “I shouldn’t have to fight you and you know it. Fuck, you’ve already admitted to me that Henry is my son. So tell me, Mallory, what’s this really about? Because I thought we were trying to work this out so we would be a family?” Chris took a few steps toward her, but Mallory was trying to inch backward.

Mallory just stared back at Chris, “I thought so, too. But you keep pushing and you don’t respect any of my decisions. It’s all about you, I don’t think you even care how this is impacting me. Do you even realize how much change this has been for me? How my life has been upended?” Mallory tried to fight back the tears that were welling in her eyes, she didn’t want to cry in front of him, but there was going to be no way to stop them. “I know you want him in your life and you hate me for keeping him from you, but you just don’t get what it’s been like for me, Chris. He’s all I’ve got and you’re going to rip him away from me.”

Chris was stunned at her words. Mallory said things he hadn’t expected, and frankly, he wasn’t sure he comprehended. He took a few steps toward her, reaching out for her but she pulled back. “Babe, I’m not going to rip him away from you. Why in the….what makes you even think that way?”

As the tears streamed down her face, she let out a sarcastic laugh. “Chris, I’ve lied to Henry for years about his father. For me to tell him now that I know who his father is and, oh, by the way, he happens to be the guy that’s been hanging around lately,” She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes and pull herself together. “Chris, he’s going to hate me and he’s the only family I have left. I’m not ready to deal with him leaving me, too. And I don’t fucking want that at Christmas. And you think you’re just going to waltz in here and be this great dad because you want it so fucking bad. And you will be because he already adores you and I can’t compete with that.”

Chris knew that part of what Mallory was saying was accurate. Henry would be angry and it would make it tough for them to maneuver through the emotions. Chris was so set on telling Henry and moving on with their lives that he hadn’t given much thought to the impact on Mallory’s life. To be fair, he had hoped they would be going through this as a family unit and she wouldn’t be dealing with this alone. Why was she so averse to being a family?

Before Chris could respond to what she was saying and get her to understand what it was that he wanted, she started talking again. “But Chris, do you really think you can be a father to him? I mean you have a busy movie and press schedule and there isn’t a ton of free time. How much time do you think you can devote to being a dad to Henry?”

That was a low blow and he wasn’t about to let her get away with that. “What the hell kind of question is that, Mallory? You want to deny me access to my son because you don’t think I’m fit?” Chris wasn’t expecting the argument to go in this direction.

“Henry lives in Atlanta and I told you we won’t move to Boston. So, are you planning on moving here? Right now you split time between Boston and LA, so you planning on adding Atlanta into the mix?” Mallory crossed her arms across her chest and took a defensive stance. “These are the types of logistics you need to consider, Chris. Because he isn’t chasing you all over the world.”

“Again, you’re talking like I’m going to parent him without you. What am I missing, Mallory? After last night, after we both said we love one another, I thought we were moving in the right direction toward being a family. A mother and father, hopefully under one roof because Henry needs his father in his life, a male role model and I’m ready to be that. Why won’t you let me?”

Mallory turned her gaze from Chris, she couldn’t look at him when she said the words, she didn’t want to see the look on his face. The words would cut him like a knife, “I’m not so sure that you’re a good role model for him.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Mallory? I’m his father, why wouldn’t I be a good role model for him?” 

She still couldn’t look at him. She took a deep breath and calmly spoke the words that would be as painful to say as they would be for Chris to hear. “You have a reputation, Chris. You drink a lot, party, and, of course, there is the issue of sleeping around and not remaining faithful. It’s just not the kind of thing Henry needs to be exposed to, that’s all. I want him to be a better man than that.” 

Chris’s blood ran cold. Mallory struck a low blow and she knew it, he saw her wince after the words left her mouth. But she couldn’t take them back. His hands slid from his hips into his pockets and his stare became glassy and cold. “Let’s get a few things straight, shall we? I was always faithful to you and I’ve made it abundantly clear that I had intentions of making things work with you. The operative word there is ‘had.’ I am not a drunk and I don’t party too much, so I’m not sure where you’re getting that shit, Mal. If you’re trying to be coy and refer to red carpet appearances or tv interviews, well then you’ve obviously elected to forget the impact of some of my anti-anxiety meds. And as far as the rumors of me sleeping around, well they’re just that, rumors. You’ve seen them because you’ve trolled those fucking websites.” Chris walked out of the family room and into the kitchen, right past Mallory.

Mallory could have sworn she felt a cold chill as he walked past her. His words had sunk in, he was done with her. The bliss from last night and earlier that morning were gone. She could tell that the damage was too much to repair and the battle was just getting started. He turned back to her in the doorway of the kitchen, his eyes were void of emotion, “I wish I could decipher what was going on in that goddamn head of yours. I don’t know if it’s the stress of losing your parents or the bullshit they put in your head all those years ago, or what. But you are delusional, you need therapy, Mallory. The lashing out and pushing people away, it’s ridiculous. You’re destined to die alone if you don’t stop this shit.”

“I’m not delusional and this has nothing to do with my parents,” Mallory screamed back at Chris.

For a fleeting moment, Chris could feel his heart break for her. Maybe Mallory didn’t realize what she was up against. Chris took several steps in her direction, stopping just in front of her. He was hurling insults at her just as she had been doing to him, but that wasn’t going to resolve anything and it was only going to make this entire situation worse. “Mallory, I think you’ve got issues from your parents that you’re not even aware of. I don’t believe you want to fight me, but you can’t help yourself.”

“You’re going to take my son away from me,” Mallory blurted out, her hands immediately flew to cover her mouth. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She was choking back her sobs as she backed away from Chris. 

Chris’s first instinct was to reach for her and pull her close, but he resisted. He needed to stay out in front of her so she could see him, “Mallory, I’ve never said I would take Henry from you. In fact, I’ve told you repeatedly that I want to raise him with you. I want us to be a family. Now you think I’m changing my mind about that? What makes you think I would actually do that to you?” Chris watched her with the hope that she could formulate an answer, one that would make sense of this whole situation. “You’ve said that several times now and I’ve gotta tell you it hurts to hear it. I’m not taking him away from you and just because I tell him he’s my son doesn’t mean there’s no room in his heart to love us both. You’re an excellent mother, he loves you and he will not turn his back on you.”

“He,” Mallory’s words were not going to come out easy because of her sobs, “Will hate me.” She began to hyperventilate and had to slow her breathing. “He already thinks you’re cool, Chris. When he realizes I lied to the both of you for years, he won’t forgive me and he’ll want you to take him away from me.”

“I won’t disagree that he’ll be hurt and probably angry. But if I can forgive you and move past it, don’t you think he can, too?” Chris stepped forward again, placing his hands on Mallory’s shoulders. “Look, I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but you have to face the truth. The longer you wait to tell him the harder it will be.”

“I can’t, Chris. Not right now, please don’t push me.”

He pulled his hands back as if she were a hot stove. “What about Disney? I offered to send you on vacation and keep you away from the rest of the family so there isn’t a risk of Henry being photographed with everyone else.”

“No, I don’t think it’s a good idea. He’s not stupid, the rest of the family will be falling all over him because they already know and he’d be the only one who isn’t in on the secret.” She watched as Chris’s eyes once again went cold and void. “And now we’re back to the argument of telling him before Christmas. I’m sorry.” This time it was Mallory who left the room. She moved to the stairway and quietly walked up to her room. She closed her door with a soft click, inching her way down against the closed door and willing herself to not cry over what had just played out downstairs.

Chris, on the other hand, stood dumbfounded in the kitchen. He had not anticipated the conversation that he wanted to have, escalating to the bitter fight that just unfolded. The animosity and bitterness were getting out of hand and he needed to walk away and clear his head. He climbed the stairs, stopping outside of her Mallory’s door for a brief moment before going to his room to retrieve his wallet and car keys. Once they were in his hands, he briskly walked past her room and down the steps and right out the front door. He’d come back when he was clear-headed and he knew he could talk to her without exploding and potentially making things worse.

~ * ~

Several hours later, Chris found himself sitting in the corner booth of a small diner. He was drinking a cup of coffee when the bell above the door chimed; it was the first time someone had entered the diner in the last thirty minutes. Darby slid into the bench across from Chris, sliding her jacket off as she got seated. He raised his head so that he could make eye contact with her, “I appreciate you coming to talk to me, Darby. I hope I’m not causing a problem for you?”

“Nah, you’re allowing me a good excuse to get away from John’s family,” Darby laughed lightly in an attempt to break the mood. “I take it things aren’t going well with Mallory?”

Chris shook his head slightly, not having the heart to verbalize his emotions completely. “Look, I know you two are best friends and I don’t want you to break confidentiality or anything. But, I’m genuinely worried about her, I think she’s coming apart at the seams,” Chris was spinning his empty coffee cup and Darby could tell he was nervous. “Mallory thinks if we tell Henry the truth that he’ll turn his back on her completely. She has it in her mind that I’m trying to him away from her.”

Darby reached across the table and placed her hand over Chris’s, “I love Mallory and I know you do, too. I think you’re finally seeing some of the problems she’s been dealing with for years. Unfortunately, it’s manifesting in the custody fight but you need to know it isn’t all about you and Henry,” Darby pulled her hand back, fearing her touch may seem too intimate for him. She could see that his eyes were understanding what she was trying to relay. “Her parents did a number on her and she has rejection issues. She’s scared that she’ll lose Henry and he’s the only family she has left.”

“That is the part I don’t get, Darby. I’ve never told her I want to take him away from her.”

“I know that and so does she, but Henry is very independent and she knows his personality. She knows how angry he will be that she’s kept you away from him all these years. I think she is terrified that since Henry has taken to you that it will be even easier for him to just walk away from her because you are the ‘cool’ parent now.”

“Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?” Chris said emphatically as he sat back in the booth.

“Yes, I do, but this is Mallory we’re talking about. This is also the woman who, although she hasn’t come out and said it, I think she’s afraid if she lets you in that you’ll end up rejecting her and leaving her, as well.”

“Me? Why is she afraid I’ll leave her when I’m the one trying to get her back in the first place? She’s the one who left me originally not the other way around!” Chris was trying to keep his voice low, he didn’t want to broadcast to the entire diner what was going on in his personal life.

Darby wasn’t actually Mallory’s therapist so she wasn’t breaching patient confidentiality, but that didn’t mean it didn’t cross her mind that she was overstepping her boundaries. The waitress approached the table and Darby ordered coffee then fiddled with the silverware on the table, afraid to reach for Chris’s hands again. “Chris, for once she’s realistic about your relationship. You two are not the same people you were when you dated thirteen years ago and you can’t just pick up where you left off. But you know that, too, don’t you?”

Chris slowly nodded his head, “I do love her, Darby, and I want to make things work. I just want it to go back to the way it used to be and forget everything that happened in between.”

“See, therein lies the problem, Chris. Mallory can’t forget what’s happened in between, that’s her life, and more importantly, that’s Henry’s life. She’s watched you in other relationships and time after time she’s told me that she knew it would have never worked between the two of you. Mallory doesn’t fit the mold for the type of women you date.” Darby watched Chris’s face for a reaction or some sort of emotion to flash across his face, but there was nothing. She wondered if she should move forward, but ultimately decided she had nothing to lose, so she went for it. “Mallory confided in me how she’d followed your career and your relationships. The fact that your relationships don’t last long, well except for that one, but generally, they don’t last. So, she’d come to the conclusion that you wouldn’t commit to her either. I think she thinks that once the excitement wears off of being with her and being a dad to Henry, you’ll lose interest and leave and she’s the one who has to pick up the pieces and try to move on.”

Chris hung his head and said nothing. He knew he should defend himself, explain to Darby that his relationships never worked because Mallory was always on his mind. Explain it was hard to commit to one woman when you couldn’t stop thinking about another. He suspected that Darby didn’t want to hear all of that because they were only words. She didn’t know him, and she was more likely to believe Mallory since they had been friends for so long. No, it was best just to let that all go.

Chris kept his eyes downcast and his breathing even. He was working up the courage to ask his next question, not sure if he could do it or not, but he needed the answer. In a shaky voice, he finally asked, “Was she ever going to tell me about Henry? Ever tell me I had a son?”

Darby exhaled and plopped against the cushion of the booth, “No, I don’t think she was. But I don’t think it was because she was trying to hurt you, I think she was trying to protect you.”

After a minute, Darby sat forward and accepted the coffee that the waitress sat in front of her. Darby began to doctor her coffee with cream before looking up and meeting Chris’s gaze. His eyes were full of sorrow and she knew that her words had pierced his heart. She thought she should explain and try to ease his pain a bit, “To be fair, Chris, I don’t think Mallory ever expected to see you again. She knew if she just called out of the blue to tell you about Henry that you would think she had some ulterior motive. She didn’t want you to question her like that. She just didn’t think you would find out, but when your mom saw Henry at the funeral it sort of put the wheels in motion, for good or bad.”

Chris said nothing, letting Darby’s words sink in. He wasn’t actually surprised by her response, it made complete sense to him. It just didn’t make it any easier to accept. He could feel the resentment beginning to swell with the realization that he still needed to come to terms with the fact that Josh had known about Henry while he was in the dark. 

“I have my own anger over this situation, Darby. The fact that she never told me stings and the fact that my best friend was in on it all along, well that stings a little more. But I’m electing to put it behind me and move forward, why can’t she?”

Darby let a faint smile cross her lips, “It’s not that easy, Chris. This entire situation has less to do with you than it has to do with what her parents did to her. You were right when you said that. Maybe it’s harder for you to comprehend since you come from a loving family. If it’s any consolation, you did the right thing by putting on the brakes when Mallory came back to Atlanta.”

Chris looked up at Darby, she was sipping from her coffee cup and eyeing him carefully. “You agree with my decision? Okay, that surprises me a little, I’ll be honest. I thought you were all rah rah team Mallory?” His voice was somewhat sardonic as he uttered those words.

Darby lowered her coffee cup to the table and placed her hand over it as the waitress appeared with the pot. Chris shook his head, indicating he wasn’t interested in a refill either. As the waitress turned and walked away, Darby finally spoke up, “I am firmly planted on the side of team Mallory, as you say, but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything she wants and when she wants it. You were right to slow it down, you two really don’t know one another and it would be ridiculous to jump into a relationship.”

Once again Chris hung his head, but this time he could feel his face begin to flush. He only hoped that Darby couldn’t see the color seeping up his neck. Unfortunately, she did notice, leaning across the table and staring at his neck. “So, you just couldn’t help yourself could you?” she asked with a wink of an eye.

“Ah, hell, Darby,” Chris sat back against the booth and turned to look in the other direction, unable to make eye contact with her. “To be fair, we didn’t jump into a relationship. I thought we were getting closer, but she started pushing me away again.”

“Give her time to get used to having you around, Chris. She has dreamed about having you in her life again for years. She wants this more than you know, but she’s scared. I have a feeling you haven’t told her that this entire scenario scares the hell out of you as well.”

~ * ~

Mallory spent the majority of the day upstairs, just waiting for Henry to call. She heard Chris leave the house shortly after she had retreated to her room. Actually, she couldn’t help but hear him leave, he had stormed up and down the stairs, slammed the front door, and peeled out of the driveway. He had made enough noise that his family in Boston most likely heard him leaving the house. What she didn’t know was whether he was coming back. She was in her room with the door shut so she couldn’t see if he had an overnight bag or if he had taken all of his things with him. The easiest way to answer her question would be to wander down the hall and open the door to his room; however, she wasn’t sure she was ready for whatever answer might lie beyond that door. 

What she did know, was that she didn’t want to be caught off guard when he came home. So, she decided to hide and stay upstairs all day so she could easily duck into her room or Henry’s room to get out of his path if he came home. It would be easy to keep herself busy, she had plenty of cleaning to do. She would start with Henry’s room and his bathroom and then work her way towards her own bedroom. Several times she was tempted to open the door to Chris’s room, but each time she stopped herself. Just as she was ready to get started on her room, where the memories of the last two nights would come flooding back, Henry called to say he was ready to come home.

Mallory went into the bonus room to look out onto the driveway, she wanted to see if Chris’s car was in the driveway. While she had not heard him come in, there was always the possibility he had entered the house and she didn’t hear it. Her heart fell when she realized it was still gone and there was no sign of movement on the street. She made her way down the stairs and out the door, walking down the block to Noah’s house to retrieve Henry. On their way home, she told Henry that Chris had left the house earlier in the day and he was most likely not back yet and she didn’t know what time he’d be home. Mallory was surprised that Henry took the news so well. In fact, he said that he was so tired he just wanted to go home and take a shower then go to bed.

As they approached the house, it was clear Chris hadn’t yet returned. Mallory knew she had to leave the house unlocked so Chris could get back in since he didn’t have a key. But she didn’t know if he was actually coming back; she could have texted him to ask but she didn’t want to force the issue since he obviously didn’t want to talk to her. She wasn’t comfortable leaving the house unlocked, but it was better than making him angry and locking him out. She left the porch light on and turned on the small lamp in the hallway. Providing some illumination in the house so he wouldn’t walk into a pitch black home. Plus, the lights would ward off any burglars because they would think someone was awake and moving around in the house. Mallory even turned on a small lamp in the kitchen before moving toward the staircase and heading up to her room.

As she got to the top of the steps and stood in the doorway of her room, Mallory was unsure if she could bring herself to actually move past the threshold. Steeling her nerves with a deep breath, she stepped inside and shut the door, bracing herself against it. Her head sounding out a thud as it came to rest against the door, her eyes closed as she willed herself to move on. When she opened her eyes, she surveyed the room and noticed the covers were still askew from that morning. She began to think back on what she and Chris had done in that bed and the memories that lingered in the room. Mallory gave a fleeting thought to changing the sheets but decided she wasn’t ready to let go of him just yet. Despite their vigorous argument, the scent of Chris on the sheets and pillow were too strong for her to just discard as if they didn’t exist.

Mallory made her way to the bathroom where she quickly changed for bed. As she crawled onto the bed, she pulled the pillow that Chris had been using to her chest. She inhaled deeply and cradled the pillow against her while she drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately, it was a less than restful night, she maybe had one hour of continuous sleep. Mallory finally rolled over and looked at the bedside clock, it was 5:30 am; there was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep. She kicked the covers off of her and got out of bed, this time stripping it of the sheets so she would be forced to put fresh sheets on before bed this evening. 

She walked into the bathroom, tossing the sheets into the clothes hamper and then taking a look at herself in the mirror. The reflection drove home the fact that she didn’t get much sleep; the puffy eyes and the prominent dark circles. If there was one thing she knew, it was that she did not have the energy or the inclination to get dolled up for the day. Mallory pulled her hair into a messy ponytail, washed her face and then pulled on a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved t-shirt. 

Mallory slowly descended the stairs and her mind replayed everything from yesterday like an old movie. The clips of her happy memories with Chris and then the flickering of the images of the fight and knowing there were things she said that she wished she could take back. She didn’t quite know how to talk to Chris about her fears and instead, they manifested into the harsh words between the two of them. She only hoped that getting it all out now meant they could find a way through it and come out whole on the other side. Working on it now would be better than having it come out later and hurting more.

She paused at the end of the steps, waiting for the internal movie to stop before she walked into the living room. She needed to know if he was back. The only way to do that was to look out the window to see if his car was in the drive. Mallory stood at the window, her hand on the window sheers, willing herself to open them. When she finally did, she was relieved to see his car in the driveway – he was home. Sometime during the night, he had returned and entered the house without waking her. She was so thankful he was back, she had no idea how she would explain to Henry that Chris had not returned if the car was still missing this morning.

Mallory dropped the window sheers and turned from the window, practically jumping out of her skin when she noticed Chris standing in the archway of the living room with his bag and backpack at his feet. Her hand immediately flew to her chest and she gasped, “Crap, you scared me. I didn’t hear you come down the stairs.”

Chris just looked at her, his expression was cold, “That’s because I didn’t. When I came in last night, I just decided to sleep on the couch in the family room so I wouldn’t make noise coming up the steps. I got up when I heard you come downstairs. I figured since I was awake, I might as well get up.”

“Oh,” Mallory responded as she moved to sit in one of the wingback chairs in front of the window. Her eyes never moving away from Chris, “I see you’ve got your bags, I guess that means you’ve decided to leave a few days early?”

Chris broke his gaze with Mallory, electing to look down at the floor as he slipped his hands into his pockets. He expelled the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, “I’m going to take them out to the car, but I won’t leave until I have a chance to say goodbye to Henry. I’m pretty sure I’ve worn out my welcome, so it’s time I go back to Boston.”

Chris looked back up at Mallory and she replied with a blank stare, “Well, Henry will be sorry to see you leave. I think he was starting to enjoy having you around.”

“And what about you, Mallory? Will you be sorry to see me leave?” Chris knew he shouldn’t be asking the question, but he couldn’t help himself.

There was no way Mallory could answer him. She wanted to, but it would lead down a path could only bring more trouble and heartache. It was best to deflect and move on, “So, where did you go yesterday?” 

Chris shook his head, realizing she deflected his question. Not that he was surprised, in fact, he would have been disappointed if she had actually answered him. It was just the realization that he knew her well enough to know what to expect. What he wouldn’t give to just pull her out of her chair and kiss her. Make her come to terms with everything and tell her he wasn’t leaving until Henry knew the truth. But he wasn’t brazen enough to go through with it. Instead, he walked over and took a seat in the chair opposite where Mallory was seated. “I drove around, did some thinking,” he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, “I’m not sure that I can up with any answers. I know I have more questions than I did when I left the house, though. The primary question is how do we move forward from here?”

Mallory didn’t have an answer for him. Instead, she stood and, without a word, walked towards the kitchen. Chris watched as she moved past him and through the archway into the dining area. He stood and followed her, leaning against the wall and watched as she opened cabinets and looked to be gathering items to make herself a cup of tea.

Tea and the act of brewing the perfect cup would calm Mallory’s nerves. As she leaned against the counter, she was unaware that Chris was watching her from a distance. She took deep, measured breaths and tried to think of the story that would have to be concocted to make Henry understand why Chris was leaving early. She was deep in thought when she was startled by the sound of Chris clearing his throat behind her.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, just needed to let you know I had come into the room,” Chris offered quietly. He walked behind her and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest and watching Mallory as she moved to make her tea. Her motions were smooth and graceful and he couldn’t take his eyes off her; he had to will himself to keep his hands off of her. Even though the two of them were at war with their words, his body had a visceral reaction to her. He took several deep breaths to try and combat his body’s reaction before speaking, “I think our argument yesterday was eye-opening in several ways, Mallory. I ended up saying a few things that I shouldn’t have said and I’m hoping we can talk about it before I leave. I just don’t want to get into another argument. I don’t want to leave Atlanta with a wedge between us.”

Mallory said nothing to Chris in response. In fact, she didn’t even acknowledge that he was speaking. She knew it made her look childish, but it was her defense mechanism; she needed to keep from breaking down. Once she had her tea prepared, she looked up at Chris and spoke, “We can talk and I’ll do my best not to argue and fight, but I make no promises,” she gave him a faint smile in an attempt to break the mounting tension.

He returned her smile, “Fair enough, that’s all I can ask.” Chris stepped away from the counter, following Mallory to the kitchen table. He took a seat and immediately regretted not making himself a cup of coffee to help get him through this conversation. He didn’t want to get up, though. He had committed to sitting down and he would get through this, one way or another. 

He cleared his throat, leaned forward on the table and just let it out. “During our argument yesterday, when things got heated, I ended up lashing out and saying things that were hurtful. I spent plenty of time reflecting on that yesterday, believe me. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I’m sorry, Mallory, I truly am.”

Mallory’s face registered her surprise; she hadn’t expected the apology. Oh, she knew that Chris wasn’t the type of man who would blatantly hurl insults and hurtful things on a regular basis. He was a passionate and emotional man, the words just came out. But he wasn’t known for coming back and apologizing either, at least the old Chris that she’d known wasn’t. “I don’t know what to say to that, Chris, but thanks, I guess.”

“It’s fair to say this entire situation has me frustrated. And right now, we’re getting good at pushing each other’s buttons, which means things escalate rather quickly.”

“Yeah, you could say that. So, do you want to be specific about what you’re sorry for?” Mallory knew it was risky to push back but she figured if he was going to open the door, she was going to walk through it. “I mean, is this a blanket apology for everything you said or only certain pieces of it?”

“I’m not going to apologize for telling you I want Henry to know the truth, Mallory. But I had no right to say you need therapy and I was most definitely out of line to say you were delusional. I’m not qualified to make those statements and I was lashing out to hurt you.” Chris watched her face for some sort of expression or flash of emotion, but there wasn’t any. He was worried as to how she was taking in what he was saying.

Mallory gazed out the window and then turned her attention back to Chris, “You know Darby and John think I need therapy.” Chris was stunned that she admitted this to him. He wasn’t about to tell her that Darby told him this tidbit of information last night. No, it was best that she not know about his meeting with her best friend. As a matter of fact, he had asked Darby to keep their conversation quiet; he didn’t want Mallory to know they had spoken. “You know, they may be right. I just never wanted to admit it because it’d mean I’d have to admit I’m broken.”

“Mallory, not broken, just a little cracked. And honestly, everyone’s got cracks, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. But I’m not going to say you should or shouldn’t go to therapy, sweetheart. That needs to be your decision. I know that John and Darby love you and they want what’s best for you, though,” Chris reached his hand out across the table and covered hers. “I want what’s best for you, too. In case you need confirmation of that.” He gave her a wry smile and she easily returned it.

“Why are you suddenly being nice to me?”

“All I’m trying to do is make it clear that I pushed things a little too far yesterday,” he offered back, it was as if he was trying to bait her into saying something as well. And it seemed as if she finally caught on. 

“Oh, wait a minute! You are trying to apologize to me in the hopes I’ll do the same, aren’t you?” Mallory’s question was rhetorical, she didn’t expect Chris actually to answer her. “Fine, I’m sorry it escalated so quickly and that we couldn’t talk about it like adults. I’m sorry that I let my fears, whether they are rational or not, hold you back from what you want. I’m aware I’m hurting you, but don’t think for one moment that I’m taking pleasure in it.”

Chris wanted to snark back at her because he couldn’t help but feel she took some sort of perverse pleasure in it. But he was going to refrain from it, just in case she was telling the truth. Just in case Darby was telling the truth when she said it was eating Mallory up. “That’s why I think I need to go home because my coming here was a bad idea.”

“So you regret it?” Mallory’s eyes were downcast while she waited for him to answer. If Chris regretted the trip, it meant he regretted sleeping with her as well, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear him say that.

“I don’t regret all of it, Mallory. I don’t regret, and I won’t apologize, for our nights together. I just think I pushed too hard to come down here to see the two of you. I think I want to be Henry’s father so much that I’m not thinking of what other dominoes may fall because I’m just going after what I want the most.”

“That’s probably the most honest you’ve been in this whole situation,” Mallory responded and turned her attention towards the backyard, diverting her eyes from Chris. He didn’t say he regretted sleeping with her, she didn’t know how that was supposed to make her feel. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything else and she knew that Chris was probably waiting for some sort of declaration.

“Mal, do you have regrets about me being here?” Chris’s voice was barely above a whisper and Mallory could tell he was almost scared to ask.

Mallory didn’t answer right away, she just continued to stare into the backyard. Chris was starting to grow impatient, thinking she was going to ignore him. He pushed his chair away from the table, and as he started to stand, Mallory began to speak. “I regret that I didn’t tell you I was pregnant. I regret that I let time lapse between the two of us speaking and having it create such a deep divide,” she turned to face Chris, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “But I don’t regret that you were here this week. I’m sorry that we’re fighting and that you hate me, but I don’t regret our intimacy at all.”

Chris pushed his chair under the table and walked out of the kitchen, Mallory heard him walk up the steps and she guessed he was going to Henry’s room. Thirty minutes later, Chris came back downstairs and Mallory heard the front door open and close. She heard the engine turn over and the car back out of the driveway. Just like that, Chris was gone.

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	7. Chapter 7

The silence in the house was broken by the sounds of Henry’s footsteps as he descended the staircase. A moment later, he was entering the kitchen to find his mom sitting alone at the kitchen table. Unbeknownst to him, she had not moved since her conversation with Chris had ended. Henry said nothing, just pulled out a chair and sat down across from his mother. He noticed she was staring out into the backyard and looked sad as if she was ready to cry.

Henry sat up straight in his chair, cleared his throat and asked, “Mom, Chris is gone, did you know that? He told me goodbye, did he say anything to you?”

Mallory turned from the window, she could not get over just how much Henry looked like his father. She had never noticed the resemblance before. After spending so much time together the last few days, it was undeniable now. Henry’s eyes were the same shade of cornflower blue as Chris’s. And when Henry turned to the side, his profile was just as strong as his dad’s. There was no doubt that when he grew up, Henry would be a heartbreaker. Mallory’s voice cracked as she began to speak, “Um, he told me this morning that he was leaving early. Said he was waiting around to talk to you first before he left, though.”

“He apologized, said something came up and his plans had changed. He said he needed to leave and go back to Boston,” Henry’s words became choked as he fought back his emotions. “Mom, what’s going on? Did something happen between you two?”

There was no way Mallory could lie about everything. She decided to skim the surface of the truth without revealing everything, “Yeah, something happened, but it’ll be okay, baby. Chris and I had a little disagreement yesterday while you were at Noah’s. I think he decided to go home early because of it.”

“Did he say anything to you after he talked to me and before he left? Like when we’ll see him again? I mean, are you gonna talk to him again?” Mallory could sense the panic that was beginning to rise in her son’s voice. She didn’t have an answer for him and wasn’t sure what she would be able to tell him that could defuse the situation. “Mom, is he gone for good?”

“Oh, Henry, no baby, he’s not gone for good. He’s just mad at me right now, that’s all. I’m mad at him, too. We need some time away from one another, that’s all, I promise.” Mallory stood and moved to the side of the table where Henry was seated. As she sat down, she reached for her his hand, “Look at me, Henry. He’s mad at me, but he isn’t mad at you, okay? You haven’t done anything wrong and Chris is not abandoning you.” She smoothed her son’s hair and she heard Henry choke back a sob.

“Call him and tell him you’re sorry,” Henry pleaded with his mom, “Have him come back.”

“No, I can’t do that. Chris needs to go home and we need to take a break. He’s coming back to Atlanta real soon and you can call him in a few days and talk to him. I promise he isn’t going to turn his back on you.”

Henry slammed his hand on the table and stood up. He didn’t say another word, but he didn’t have to, Mallory knew that he was angry and didn’t fully understand what was going on. She was beginning to believe that Chris was pushing her hand. It was his hope that Henry would get so upset that, to calm him down, she would break down and tell him the truth. She had to believe it was part of his plan, but she wasn’t going to fall for it. 

~ Monday Morning ~

“Mom!” Henry began yelling as he descended the stairs, “Mom! Where are my shoes?” When he received no response, the panic began to rise in his voice, and the calls became more fervent, “Mom! I need my shoes, now! And where is my backpack?” As he began to huff in frustration the formation of curse words came to his lips, he rounded the corner from the stairway and saw his mother standing at the end of the hallway. Her arms crossed, the look on her face clearly indicating she was not in the mood for games or temper tantrums.

“Are you going to tell me where my shoes and backpack are?” Henry huffed out one last time, the anger and defiance still evident in his voice despite the battle stance his mother had taken.

“Please tell me, Christopher Henry, that you are not speaking in a disrespectful tone to me? And that you were not about to curse at me as you came down those stairs?” Mallory’s voice was firm and Henry was frozen in place. He wanted to protest, but she held up her hand to stop him before he could say anything further, “I would seriously consider your words before you speak young man. Lying to me would not be in your best interest.”

He dropped his head in defeat, “Well, you wouldn’t answer me, so I was getting mad. I can’t find my shoes or my backpack. Do you know where they are?”

“Well, I can’t remember the last time I used them. So, no I have no idea where they might be.” She turned from Henry and snapped the lid on her coffee tumbler while her son just glared at her.

“Mom! I’m not kidding, where’s my stuff?” His tone was firm and defiant, two things that were not normal for Henry.

Mallory turned around, placing her hands on her hips, she was over his attitude and the tantrum he was throwing. Henry’s entire disposition had changed when Chris left on Saturday. He had barricaded himself in his room for the rest of the day and had been unbearable on Sunday. Monday wasn’t starting out much better. “You know, Henry, you’re the one who takes your shoes off every night when you come in the house. How in the hell can you lose them? You need to be more responsible with your shit!” Her voice had risen, but she wasn’t full out yelling, but there was no doubt that Henry could sense that his mother was frustrated.

Henry’s eyes went wide, it was out of the ordinary for his mother to snap at him or even curse at him. He knew he was pushing her buttons and it gave him pause before he said anything further. He bowed his head and walked past her into the mudroom, figuring he would check there one more time before he rechecked his room again. Sure enough, he found his backpack on the mudroom bench and his shoes tucked underneath. He grabbed them and walked back into the kitchen, holding them up, “Found them,” he said as he took his seat at the breakfast bar.

As he put his shoes on, Mallory placed his breakfast of pancakes and sausage in front of him along with a warm bottle of syrup. She then poured him a glass of orange juice and left him to eat while she started to clean up the mess from cooking. Henry devoured his breakfast, then Mallory got him into the car for the short drive to school; the commute was quiet. It was evident that they were mad at one another and neither one of them was willing to say a word and risk another outburst. But Mallory knew that Henry was sensitive and this entire situation would most likely eat at him all day long. He got the attitude and the willingness to fight from his father, but the guilt and the fact that it would eat at him all day, well that was all her. 

As the car came to a stop in front of the school, Henry reached for the door handle and pushed the car door open. He stepped out, but before closing the door, he looked back, “Mom, can we talk about this tonight and clear the air? I don’t want us to be mad at one another because you know I love you, right?”

Mallory’s heart clenched and a smile crossed her lips. Her Henry was such as a sweet and caring young man, “Yeah baby, we can talk about it tonight, I promise. I love you, too.”

Henry shut the door and turned to meet up with his friends to start his day.

~ * ~

During the day, Mallory cleaned the house and tried to put it back in ‘pre-Chris’ condition. She still had a few days off from work and couldn’t sit still in the house or she would fixate on Chris and their fight. She needed to keep her mind busy and cleaning the house while blaring music through the sound system was her way to do that. Time flew by and the next thing she knew it was time to go and get Henry from school.

As Mallory pulled up in the carpool line in front of the school, she heard the final bell ring. Henry would exit the double doors and begin searching for her within seconds. She tried to put on a happy face and put the last 48-hours behind her. She knew Henry wanted to clear the air, so she wanted to have a good attitude when he got in the car. As Henry approached the car, Mallory noticed he looked pensive, she knew that it meant he had been dwelling on the issue all day. 

Henry Turner was a sensitive young man, he let things eat away at him until he was able to talk rationally about it. Or, in some cases, throw a fit. Much to Mallory’s dismay, he typically threw a fit. Honestly, they were more or less temper tantrums and Mallory was desperate for Henry to grow out of them. She was grateful that he was never violent and that he always had these meltdowns at home and not in public. She usually tried to chip away at the issues to avoid the meltdowns, but it never worked so the eruptions could be epic. She was holding out hope that their conversation tonight would not be epic. 

To try and stave off an episode, Mallory was treading lightly as Henry got into the car, “Hey, how was your day?” Henry didn’t look up as he got into the car and pulled the door shut, tossing his backpack on the seat next to him and pulling out a book. Mallory noticed he hadn’t buckled in and she provided a gentle reminder, “Can you please buckle up, Henry? I can’t drive off until you do.” She kept her tone even as she watched his movements in the rearview mirror. 

Henry said nothing in response, just reached for the seat belt and fastened it. “There, I’m strapped in,” he replied coldly, “And my day was fine.” His eyes immediately diverted to the book in his lap as he began to read.

Mallory wasn’t fond of the attitude he was displaying, but she elected not to push it. Instead, she checked traffic and started to pull away from the curb, “I’ve been cleaning all day so I’m not in the mood to cook, how about we go out to eat? You pick, I’ll pay?” She said with a light laugh, a joke at the fact that Henry wouldn’t be paying for dinner anyway. She knew the conversation with Henry would be heavy later that evening, so she was trying to maintain a lighter air now, it didn’t seem to be working.

“I’m not hungry,” he shot back at her, not even making a comment about her cheesy joke. “Why don’t we just get pizza and go home? I don’t wanna go to a restaurant.”

Mallory turned out of the neighborhood where the school was located and steered in the direction of the house. She figured if he wanted pizza, their favorite place delivered, so there was no sense in going to the restaurant. Henry never looked up or acknowledged that they were heading home.

Mallory pulled the car into the driveway, turning off the engine and grabbing for her purse that was in the passenger seat. It was only then that Henry looked up and realized where they were, “I thought we were going to go eat?” He was confused and sounded a bit disappointed to realize they were at home and not in the parking lot of their favorite pizza place.

Mallory swung the car door open, “You made it clear you didn’t want to eat in a restaurant,” her voice was cold as she responded and exited the car. She wasn’t exactly sure why he was acting the way he was, but she wasn’t going to play games with him. She’d had enough stress dealing with Chris, she honestly didn’t need this on top of it. Mallory slammed the car door and headed for the house, Henry just sat in the back seat and watched his mother walk away.

Henry finally unbuckled himself and got out of the car and went straight to the mud room to take off his shoes. His thoughts immediately went back to the argument from that morning and he figured now would be a good time to have that talk with his mom. He found her sitting in the living room, curled up on the end of the couch and reading a book. Henry wiped his hands on his jeans, he was suddenly nervous and took a deep breath before approaching her.

Henry cleared his throat, but Mallory didn’t even acknowledge that he was standing there. “Um, Mom, can I talk to you a minute? Before we eat dinner or anything?” His voice was shaky and he tried to pull himself together.

Mallory sighed heavily, gently placing her bookmark down the center of the book, she closed it and sat it to the side. She then looked up at Henry who was standing right in front of her and looked as if he was going to cry. “What do you want to talk about?” She was matter-of-fact and tried to be void of emotion. She had no idea where he wanted the conversation to go and didn’t want to waste her emotions until she knew exactly what she was up against.

“Mom, why did Chris really leave? I mean, you two seemed really happy and then suddenly you two aren’t speaking to one another anymore. Are you not going to marry him now?”

Chalk that up to the unexpected, because there was no way Mallory would have ever anticipated Henry asking that question. She was so taken off guard that she just stared at him, slack-jawed and unsure of what to say next. “It’s complicated, Henry. There are adult things that you are just too young to understand.”

“I’m not too young, I’m old enough to see things and understand,” Henry was right, and Mallory was surprised by his composure in this situation. He pulled one of the wingback chairs over so he could sit directly in front of his mom. “You told me yourself that he didn’t say goodbye to you on Saturday. You were sad, I noticed that I’m not blind, Mom.” Henry sat back in the chair, he was drained and appeared as if he didn’t want to fight. Suddenly he sat forward again and looked right at her, “Chris is a good guy and you two really like each other. I thought I was finally close to having a dad and you went and ruined it. Now, I won’t ever have a dad.”

Mallory felt as if she had been slapped across the face. Henry saying that he liked the idea of Chris potentially becoming his dad was news to her. And the fact that he was now mad at her because he thought she had pushed Chris away, well that hurt. “Henry, there are things that you don’t understand, I don’t know that I can explain to you just yet. But Chris was the one who wanted to take things slow when we got back to Atlanta, it wasn’t my idea,” Mallory suddenly wondered why she was explaining things to her son when even she didn’t fully understand.

“Does he not love you anymore?” Henry’s voice was full of emotion, although he was speaking barely above a whisper. He really wanted to know the answer to the question but wasn’t sure he should even be asking it.

“He does and I still love him. Come here,” Mallory motioned for Henry to come over to the couch to sit with her. When he moved from the chair, she pulled him close and snuggled with him. While he was a growing boy, she wanted to convey to him her feelings and felt this was the best way to do that. “Relationships for adults are hard and complicated, my relationship with Chris is no different. We’ve been apart for many years, so while we have feelings for one another, we realized we don’t really know one another.”

“But you do know one another, at least it seems like you do.”

“Henry, I wish I could explain it to have it make sense. But we’ve had some disagreements over a few things that are important,” Mallory smoothed Henry’s hair down and kissed his temple. “I promise, we didn’t mean for our disagreements to hurt you. We both want what’s best for you. I love you, Henry, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you intentionally. I just want to protect you and do what’s best for you.”

“So, he still likes me?”

Mallory let out a little laugh, “Yeah, he has a connection with you, he’s not going to turn his back on you. Don’t worry, Henry, Chris will be calling you and talking to you very soon.”

~ * ~

Chris had kept himself sequestered since his return to Boston. He knew if had told his family that he came home early he would be met with a round of ‘I told you it wouldn’t work’ and the round of questions of when they get to meet Henry. He wasn’t ready to deal with either scenario, and he certainly didn’t feel like explaining any of it. During his drive through the Atlanta suburbs on Friday night, he had received an email from Rebecca warning him not to tell Henry anything without Mallory’s consent. His attorney said she couldn’t guarantee that it wouldn’t backfire and hurt his custody case. So, it was better to err on the side of caution. She knew it wasn’t the answer he wanted, but she wanted him to win his case and that is why he had her involved.

Rebecca was right, he hated her answer, but he had to agree with her. It only cemented his decision to leave Atlanta early. Because the longer he stayed, the greater the temptation to tell Henry the truth. The problem was, his leaving gave Mallory the impression that she won this battle. And if there was one thing Chris hated, it was losing. He just kept reminding himself that there was a war to win and this was only a battle.

He had arrived home mid-day Saturday and made one stop on his way to the house – the liquor store. He bought a bottle of whiskey and two packs of cigarettes. Since finding out about Henry he had been trying to stop smoking. He had done a decent job of curtailing the habit, he just hadn’t been able to kick the habit yet. However, with his emotions as raw as they were right now, he was craving a cigarette so bad he couldn’t stand it. He was going to allow himself the weekend to feel sorry for himself and then he would pull himself up for the start of the new week and move forward.

On Monday morning, Chris woke up and took a shower to wash off the stench of the last two days. He needed to run the DNA samples out to the lab so they could start running the tests. Rebecca had called them on Friday to let them know to anticipate his visit. When Chris packed his things on Friday afternoon, he had taken Henry’s toothbrush and replaced it with a new one that he found under the sink. He had also taken some hair out of the brush on the sink and his water bottle from when they watched the football game. He was prepared. The lab would take Chris’s DNA sample when he got there and that would be it, the tests would be run and they would have the results in a week.

Until the results were back, it would be a waiting game. Chris had no doubt what the results would be, but no action could be taken until the results were in and official. His attorney couldn’t plan her strategy until she had the results; all of the filings and petitions hinged on having those results documented. Chris knew the first action would be the update to the birth certificate; he needed to get his name on it before he could move forward with anything else. Then, like a game of Tetris, the pieces would fall into place and fit one by one. He knew that his agent and publicist had to be in the loop on this as well because even though there should be attorney/client privilege, it didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t leak the documents. This would be juicy information for someone to turn over to TMZ or some other gossip site. He had Jim and Meghan on speed dial and Rebecca promised to fax them any and all documentation so they would be aware of the filings. Chris felt as if he was as prepared as he could be.

The thing was, he didn’t want to take Mallory to court. He didn’t want this to get ugly; he wanted to do this in a non-combative and civilized manner. But she was the one who was putting up a fight and preparing for war. So, war is what she was going to get.

~ * ~

It had been several days since Henry’s meltdown and subsequent apology. Things were a little better between them, but Mallory still felt a strain; she just didn’t know if it was real or her imagination. To get out of the house, they had accepted an invitation to have dinner with Darby and John. It was a school night and Mallory figured they wouldn’t be out too late, but it would be a chance to interact with someone other than Henry. When dinner was over, John took Henry into the other room to watch TV; he figured it would allow Mallory and Darby an opportunity to talk.

Before they started to clean the table off and load the dishwasher, Darby put the tea kettle on the stove to boil. The ladies worked in silence, knowing that once the tea was ready, the conversation would flow. As if on cue, the kettle started to whistle as the dishwasher door was closed and the machine was turned on.

“Go ahead and sit down, Mallory. I’ll bring the tea over,” Darby offered. She sat the mugs on a tray along with sugar, milk, and lemon slices then walked over to the table. As she pushed the mug of tea over in front of Mallory, she prodded her to start talking about what happened, “Do you want to tell me how things ended with Chris? I get this feeling you need to talk about it.”

Mallory dropped a sugar cube into her tea and squeezed a bit of lemon. As she stirred the tea she let out a sigh, the words just came out. “Friday, after Henry left to go to Noah’s house, Chris and I had a very heated argument. So heated, I walked out and went to my room and he stormed out of the house.” Mallory hung her head, embarrassed at the admission.

Darby sat back in her chair, she had to act surprised because Mallory could not know that she had already heard about this from Chris. She had made him a promise to keep their conversation confidential and she was not going to break it. “Shit, are you serious? What exactly happened? Did he come back? Did he ever tell you where he went?”

“We argued about what we always argue about and he said some really hurtful things to me. I heard him leave, but I never heard him come back home. I had a hard time sleeping, I know you’re going to tell me it was guilt eating at me. But I went downstairs and there he was, he said in came in and slept on the couch in the family room,” Mallory took a sip of her tea, the hot liquid burned her tongue. She should have let it sit a little longer to cool down. “He only told me that he drove around and just thought about our argument and what was said. Said to me that he lashed out and realized he was wrong to say some of the things he did and he wanted to apologize for saying them.”

Darby raised her eyebrows, this was news to her because Chris never mentioned he was considering apologizing. He admitted to her that he had lashed out, he even told her some of the things he said, but he never told her he was considering an apology. “Wow, that’s a big deal, Mallory. Did you accept it?”

“I mean, sort of, yeah, I did. I did, yeah, and then I realized he wanted me to say it back to him,” Mallory sat back in her chair again, staring at Darby, as if waiting for her best friend to read her mind. “I did, apologize, I mean. I told him I was sorry for hurting him because I wasn’t trying to, but I just didn’t want my life to fall apart at Christmas. I just needed to make it through the holiday.”

“Mallory, I’m sorry. How did Henry take his leaving?”

“Oh, that’s another issue. Henry is furious that Chris left and he blames me for that. He was unbearable on Saturday and Sunday and had a complete meltdown on Monday. We talked about it, but I think he’s still holding a grudge,” Mallory took a sip of her tea and tried to think of the best way to frame the conversation. While Darby knew almost everything about her possible reconciliation with Chris, she didn’t know all of the details. There were some things she kept to herself. Mallory knew all too well that if she gave Darby all of the details tonight that she would be looking at a therapy session for certain. It was a risk she was willing to take, she needed to get this off her chest and talk about it.

“Henry is upset because Chris had asked for his permission to marry me when we were still in Boston,” Malloy watched as Darby’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. She looked like an animated character whose eyes were about to pop out of their head. “So, Henry got it in his head that we would be a family and he would have a dad. While Chris was here, they got close, and now that he’s left, well, Henry feels like his shot at having a dad is gone. He blames me for ruining it and wants me to call Chris and fix it.”

Darby just shook her head and stared at Mallory. Finally, after a few minutes, she got up from the table without saying anything and returned a few minutes later with a bottle of tequila and a shot glass. “I’m gonna need one of these to move forward. Want one?” She asked, holding the shot glass up to Mallory. Mallory slowly nodded and realized that drinking might be just what she needed right now.

Darby took two shots, no lime or salt, and pushed the glass and bottle over in front of Mallory. “Ok, let me get this straight. Chris told you he wanted to marry you when you reconciled in Boston? And then you ended up pushing him away, he has been fighting to get you back and comes down here for Thanksgiving? Am I getting this right so far?” Mallory took her two shots, she needed the salt and couldn’t get through the drink without it like Darby could. Once she shook off the strong shot, she winced and then nodded to acknowledge what Darby had said. “And then you play house with him here and then fight and send him off back to Boston?”

Once again, Mallory nodded in agreement with everything that Darby had just said. “Yeah, you got it. But remember, I pushed him away when I came back from Boston because I thought he slept with a girl, but he didn’t. And now I’m pushing him away because he wants his son and a forever,” Mallory poured another shot and drank it before Darby could stop her.

Darby reached for the bottle and pulled it towards her, “Slow your roll there girl. I think you’re scared of the commitment. You’re terrified that he might really be the one and you might end up being happy.”

Mallory started to shake her head, although not to vigorously because she was afraid she would pass out or vomit. Neither option was terribly enticing at the moment. “No, I’m scared he’ll realize he’s making a mistake coming after me. I’m not like the women he’s dated before.”

“Yeah and he’s not married any of them, has he?” Darby asked, her eyebrows raised. “Fine, he hasn’t married you yet either, but hell, he asked Henry’s permission and that’s huge.”

“I don’t want to disappoint him. I have so much baggage, he doesn’t need all of that.” Mallory reached for the tequila bottle, but Darby kept it just out of arm’s length. “Darby, I’m pretty sure I’ve fucked it all up.”

“No, I think you just need to let him cool down a little and then you need to make an honest move to tell Henry the truth,” Darby watched as the realization dawned on Mallory’s face. “You know that if you tell Henry and you set things right with Chris, you will get him back. He wants you and he needs to hear you say you want him.”

“I do want him,” Mallory fiddled with the hem of her shirt and then looked around to make sure they had not been joined in the kitchen. “The sex was so much better than it was years ago. Good God, I didn’t want him to leave my bed, Darby. It was like a damn religious experience.”

With those words, Darby poured them each a shot of tequila. “Hell yeah, I’ll drink that that!”

~ * ~

Henry helped his mom get home from Darby and John’s. The tequila had kicked her ass and she had a hard time walking a straight line. It was a good thing they only had to walk two houses down to get home; John offered to walk them, but Henry said he could do it. Instead, John stood in the driveway and watched to make sure they at least made it home safe.

Henry unlocked the door and helped his mom get into the house. There was no way he would get her up the stairs, so he opted to have her sleep on the couch in the family room. It was wider and more comfortable than the one in the living room. As soon as her body hit the couch, she fell asleep. Henry covered her with a blanket and kissed her forehead. He then turned on the soft lamp on the desk in the kitchen and locked up the house before going up to his bedroom.

It was only 10:00 pm, so he took a chance and texted Chris. He hadn’t talked to Chris since he left Atlanta and he needed to speak to him. Needed to let him know that he felt abandoned and wondered if he would see him again. Almost immediately after sending the text, his phone rang.

“Hey, Henry, is everything alright? I get your text that you need to talk. What’s up?” Chris was speaking fast, he sounded worried.

“Yeah, everything is fine, I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. Am I bothering you?” Henry was suddenly shy and second guessing his decision to reach out.

“No, buddy, it’s fine. But isn’t tonight a school night? I mean, it’s past ten, does your mom know you’re up and calling me?”

Henry had no idea that the words he was about to use could cause problems for his mother. He just said them, “Mom’s a little drunk, she’s passed out in the family room. She has no idea that I’m awake and calling you.”

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	8. Chapter 8

Chris let Henry’s words sink in, ‘Mom’s a little drunk, she’s passed out in the family room. She has no idea that I’m awake and calling you.’ What in the hell was going on that Mallory was drinking and passing out? He was suddenly angry and could feel the hair standing up on the back of his neck. This was negligent on her part and how many times had she done something like this? His mind was distracted, working through the anger over the danger Henry could be in when he heard his son’s voice.

“Chris, are you still there?” Henry waited for a response, then he started talking again. “We went to John and Darby’s for dinner and mom and Darby started taking shots. Mom was really upset about something, she drank and she shouldn’t have. She was really sorry for it, kept apologizing on the walk home. It’s the first time I’ve seen her like this,” his voice was soft, and Chris wondered if Henry was going to cry.

“Are you alright, Henry? Are you scared for your mom?” Now Chris was concerned, if Mallory was drinking with Darby, he knew that he was most likely the reason for it. His demeanor was changing.

“She cried a lot on the walk home, but she stopped when I put her on the couch. She’ll be okay, I know that. But I think she was drinking because of the fight we had this week,” Henry choked back a sob, not wanting Chris to hear him break down. He sniffled and pulled himself together. “I have given her a really hard time since you left. She’s been pretty upset.”

“You wanna talk about it, tell me what’s going on?” Chris didn’t want to push too hard, but he figured if Henry called that the young man needed someone to talk to. “You said you’ve given her a hard time, why is that?”

Chris could hear the faint sobs coming from Henry’s end of the phone. He let him cry, knowing he needed to get it out. After a minute or so, Henry took a deep breath and pulled himself together. “You had said you wanted to marry mom, asked me if it was okay when we were in Boston. And when you were here, I thought things were going good, we were happy. So, when you left, I knew it was because you and mom were fighting, I got mad at her.”

“Oh, I see,” Chris replied, figuring he had an idea where this conversation was going. “So, you two fought about what was going on with your mom and me.”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Henry said sheepishly. He was almost afraid to say the next words, “I wanted to know what she had done to make you change your mind. Why did she have to go and ruin it and make you leave when things were good the way they were.”

Chris winced, “Ouch, that was harsh, Henry. I don’t think that was the best tactic to take.”

“No, I know. We fought all day Saturday and Sunday and then I had a meltdown on Monday. I ended up apologizing to her, but I didn’t make it easy on her. She’s been crying a lot since you left. She thinks I don’t know about it, but I hear her.”

“It’s complicated, Henry. I wish I could easily explain it to you, believe me, I do. But there are some things I just can’t tell you.”

“I know, she said that, too.” Henry yawned, and Chris couldn’t help but smile. His son was tired and could barely stay awake, but he was trying to get through this crisis and talk out his emotion. “Chris, do you still love my mom?”

Without hesitation, Chris answered with a resounding, “Yeah buddy, I do. But you have to understand that sometimes love just isn’t enough. Oh, I wish it was, believe me. But your mom and I have some issues we have to fix before we can have our happy ending. But I’m not giving up on any of us, okay?”

“You promise?”

“You bet I do. Look, if you’re sure your mom is okay downstairs, then crawl into bed and get some sleep. Don’t cause her any problems in the morning, she won’t be feeling good, okay? Call me tomorrow night and let me know how she is and we can talk some more.”

“Thanks, Chris. I’d hug you if you were here.”

“I’d hug you back, buddy,” Chris hung up the phone and put his head in his hands. He had to talk to Mallory in the morning, they had thought their argument had been kept away from Henry, but he had seen more than they realized. And what exactly had thrown Mallory over the edge to get her drunk? He needed to know that because he would use that against her if he had to. She better know that he was going to play hardball.

~ * ~

Mallory rolled over and hit the floor with a loud thud. As she startled awake, she realized she had fallen off the couch and just barely missed hitting her head on the coffee table on the way to the floor. What she wasn’t so sure of was how she ended up on the couch in the first place. She reached for the couch in the dark, from her spot on the floor, it was pitch black in the room. As she slowly pulled herself up, she could see the faint glow from the desk lamp in the kitchen. Her head was pounding like she had a college drumline marching through her skull. It was starting to come back to her, she had tequila shots with Darby.

Mallory began feeling in her pockets for her phone, but couldn’t find it. She frantically searched the couch cushions, all while her head was screaming at her to move slow. But she couldn’t find it in the couch either. Just as she was about to freak out completely, she glanced over and noticed it was sitting on the coffee table and it seemed as if Henry had even plugged it in to charge. He really was a sweet boy. Then she had a sickening feeling, he had to walk her home.

Mallory realized that she was in a bad state and her son had seen her like this. Had she said anything about Chris in front of him? Had she mistakenly said anything about her fight with Chris and who he was to Henry? Suddenly she could feel her dinner and every one of those tequila shots making their way back up. She quickly moved from the couch and made it just in time to the bathroom. The regret was setting in, and the fear was overtaking her.

Mallory rinsed her mouth out and made her way back to the couch. She looked at her phone, it was 2 am. She pulled the blanket back around her and curled up on the couch, attempting to go back to sleep. She didn’t trust herself to go upstairs, she knew that staying asleep on the couch would be restless and she deserved a restless sleep for what she had done. She prayed that when Henry got up in a few hours, that she would not be faced with the stark reality of what she might have said or done last night.

~ * ~

It had been exactly one week since Chris had dropped off the DNA samples at the lab. It had also been a few days since Henry had called him to talk about how things had been with his mom and had let it slip she had been drunk. Chris had spoken with Henry several times and each time he had expressed remorse over telling Chris about what had happened to his mom. Henry was afraid Chris would have the wrong idea about her and wanted him to know that this wasn’t something she normally did. He kept telling Chris that he thought his mom was really sorry about the fight she had with him and she missed him but was too stubborn to call and talk it out.

Chris asked Henry if Mallory had said anything when she had been drinking about why they were fighting or what had happened. Henry told him she was tight-lipped about it and just kept saying she was sorry over and over again. All of these thoughts and the conversations with Henry raced through his mind as Chris pounded through his workout. He wanted to call Mallory, but he figured, like most conversations, it would end in a disagreement. He also did not want to cause a problem between Henry and Mallory by tipping her off that Henry had turned to him.

With sweat dripping off of him, he headed to the locker room to gather his things and head home. He had made the decision to keep his cell phone in his locker today. He immediately noticed that he had a missed call from Rebecca’s office. She must have his test results back. The DNA lab was going to send them directly to her so she could begin preparing all of the court documents. Chris elected to shower at home, grabbing his stuff and heading to his car so he could call his attorney right away.

He dialed the number once he was settled in the car. Rebecca’s assistant, Lucy, answered the call, “Rebecca Chandler’s office, how may I assist you?”

“Hi, Lucy, it’s Chris Evans, I saw that Rebecca called. I was at the gym, is she available?”

“Oh, hi Chris. Actually, I’m the one who called. Rebecca wanted me to see if you were available to come into the office today at two for a meeting? She has a few things to discuss with you, said it should take an hour or so.”

Chris was silent, he anticipated this meant she had paperwork ready to go and it was time to strategize on how to proceed. It meant things were ready to move forward. “Yeah, I can be there, Lucy. Thanks.”

Chris hung up the call and drove home, eager to get his shower and prepare for his meeting.

~ * ~

Several hours later, Chris stepped out of the elevator and found himself in the lobby of Albright, Taylor and Vandermeer, Attorneys at Law. This was the firm where Rebecca’s office was located, and he was suddenly nervous to see her. Now his fight was real and official, and suddenly scary. He approached the reception desk, if the woman seated there recognized him she hid it very well.

“Hello,” Chris offered with a polite smile, “I have a meeting with Rebecca Chandler.”

The young woman returned his smile and clicked a few buttons on her keyboard before looking back up at him. “Mr. Evans, Lucy will be up for you in just a moment. May I offer you some coffee or a bottle of water?”

“No, but thank you,” Chris replied as he moved toward the leather sofa to take a seat.

Before he could sit down, he heard a click and a door opened on the opposite side of the room. An attractive, petite woman stepped forward and extended her hand, “Hello, I’m Lucy, and you must be Chris.” Her smile was brilliant and Chris couldn’t help but feel at ease with her.

“Yes, Hi Lucy, nice to meet you.”

“If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you back to Rebecca’s office.” The door Lucy had exited from had closed, but Chris noticed there was a keypad next to where the door had been, but no door handle. Lucy entered a code and the door opened automatically, allowing them to walk through and into a back corridor. Lucy ushered him down a long hallway and into a small, but nicely appointed conference room. It was intimate and most likely intended to keep these types of meetings from feeling cold and impersonal like they would in a large conference room setting.

As Chris took a seat and tried to settle in, Lucy asked if he wanted anything. When he declined, she stepped out and told him that Rebecca would join him in a few moments, she was wrapping up a call with another client. He couldn’t explain why, but he was getting nervous. It reminded him of the night when he took Mallory to dinner, and he met Henry for the first time. It was when reality hit him in the face for the first time that he had a son. Now it was the reality that he was moving forward with taking Mallory to court for his parental rights. He knew he was doing the right thing, he had every right to do this. But it felt so wrong that he had to take these steps and that he couldn’t work it out with her.

Suddenly the door opened and Rebecca walked in. It had been a year or so since Chris had seen her and he almost didn’t recognize her. He stood and extended his hand, “Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you and you look fantastic,” Chris winced as he said the words. “Sorry, you always looked great, but I mean,” his voice trailed off, he could hear Rebecca start to laugh.

“So, I see you’ve lost some of your smoothness, Evans. Mallory really does have you all tangled up. Please sit down,” she gestured to the chair where had been seated moments before and then clicked the door shut behind her before taking a seat across from him. “Don’t worry, I knew what you meant, and thank you. And you don’t look so bad yourself, although, I can tell this is taking its toll on you. When was the last time you talked to Mallory?”

“The day I left Atlanta, I haven’t spoken to her since. I’ve spoken with Henry, though.”

Rebecca’s ears perked at this bit of information, “Oh, and what can you tell me about that conversation?”

“Nothing that I want to use against her,” Chris snapped back. He wiped his hand across his forehead and grimaced, realizing his quick reaction gave away more than he should have. Looking at Rebecca, he could see she was waiting for him to continue and give him the details. “Damn it, fine, I’ll tell you, but I’m serious that I don’t want to use this against her.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that, Chris? It could be what you have to tell me would have no bearing on the proceedings at all, and it is a moot point.”

Chris let out a loud sigh and sat back in his seat, “Evidently the fight we had that made me leave Atlanta early, it caused a great deal of friction between Mallory and Henry. Henry’s been lashing out at his mom, they went to their family friend’s house for dinner the other night. Darby, Mallory’s best friend, got her talking and they started drinking. From what Henry told me, Mallory had too much to drink.”

Rebecca had been listening intently to everything Chris had been saying. She leaned forward when he indicated Mallory had been drinking, “Just how much was too much? And what was she drinking?” Rebecca’s pen was poised above her notebook, ready to write down the damaging information.

Chris leaned forward, taking the pen out of Rebecca’s hand and moving the journal just out of reach. “Mallory didn’t drive, they walked to Darby’s house. Henry wasn’t sure what they had been drinking because he wasn’t in the room when it had been going on, he only saw the aftermath of it. But he thought he heard them say tequila. Henry had to help his mom walk home, but she was not falling down drunk, he put her on the couch in the family room to sleep it off.”

Rebecca sat back, crossing her arms and stared at Chris. “So, Henry had to take care of his overly inebriated mother and was in the home the remainder of the evening with no adult supervision? Am I to understand that correctly?”

When she said it that way, Chris had to cringe. “Henry called me, told me that he was home with her and that they had been fighting. He said what he had said to her in the days earlier and that she had been talking with Darby all night. Henry had called her out and wanted to know what she had done to make me leave and ruin the relationship we had.”

Rebecca said nothing, but her eyes had shifted from being harsh and cold to soft and caring. She understood where Chris was coming from and why he didn’t want to use this information. It could hurt Henry, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. “Ok, I’ll drop it if you don’t think drinking is an issue for Mallory or that Henry is in any imminent danger.”

Chris had waited a minute before he responded, “She’s not an alcoholic, Rebecca. I was there with her for a few days and drinking isn’t her issue,” Chris wiped his hands down his thighs and stood up. He began to pace in the small room, it suddenly felt like the walls were closing in on them. “I’m her issue. This entire custody debate, that’s her issue. But drinking, that’s not her issue.” Chris was now staring out of the conference room windows out across the city of Boston, watching the traffic below and the normalcy of everyone out on the street in comparison to what he was going through at the moment.

“Did I ever tell you what she went through?” Chris’s voice came out as a hoarse whisper. He turned to look over his shoulder to look at Rebecca; she was shaking her head. “Her parents disowned her, kicked her out because I got her pregnant. She has trust, abandonment, and rejection issues and I’m right in the middle of all of them. I’m fighting for the ability to call Henry my son and to spend time with him; I’ll fight her tooth and nail to get that but I won’t drag her through the mud, and I won’t rip Henry away from her. She’s a good mother to that boy, but he is her only family, I don’t want to take him away from her,” Chris turned to look at Rebecca, his eyes narrowing, “Do you understand that?”

Rebecca had to admit that she admired Chris for what he was doing. Most men who came in could be placed firmly in two buckets. The one bucket is for the men who would do anything to discredit the woman and gain full custody of the child. They had no trouble tearing her down and could not care less if the child saw what it did to their mother. In many of these cases, the men didn’t even really want the child, it was all revenge against the woman. Rebecca hated those cases and hated representing those men.

The second bucket was for those men who didn’t care about the child and would do what they could to get out of having any responsibility at all. Discredit the woman regarding who the father could be, cast doubt and draw out the process. The men didn’t care if they were showing themselves as a poor excuse for a father to the child, mainly because they didn’t want the child anyway. Honestly, Rebecca hated those cases as well.

But Chris was different. He fell into a bucket that didn’t see much action and didn’t even have a label. He wanted his son, wanted to fight for him and didn’t want to disgrace the child’s mother in the process. He was a stand-up guy and wanted to make his position known and be firm, but not be underhanded in any way. She appreciated that and would fight extra hard for someone like him.

“Chris, please come sit back down and let me tell you what I’ve got and what we need to do.” Rebecca motioned to his chair and then opened the file folder that was on the table in front of her. Chris gently lowered himself into the chair and watched her carefully. When Rebecca thought he was ready, she began to speak. “The DNA test results came in this morning. As we anticipated, it confirmed that you are Henry’s father, so congratulations Chris.”

Rebecca flipped through some documents in the folder and found the one she was looking for. She turned it and pushed it towards Chris and then placed a pen on top so he would be able to use it. “This document is the first one we will file with the court, I will need you to sign it, but I will explain it first. We need to petition the court to update the birth certificate to add your name as Henry’s father. I’ve had someone pull the record in Georgia and confirm that Mallory did not name Henry’s father on the birth certificate.” She sat back in her chair and exhaled, “Chris, this is going to be a fight because we are filing these motions in Georgia. I’ve hired a firm down there, a buddy of mine from law school actually practices in Atlanta, so he’s helping me out. You need to know what we’re up against.”

“Does she have to know I’m doing this? I mean, do I need to go to court for this and will she have to be there?”

“No, we can make the request for the update to be made, and she will be notified of the application and has time to appeal the request. But there is no court appearance and you don’t have to go to Atlanta. We sign this document that says we want the birth certificate changed based on the evidence that you are Henry’s father. The motion will indicate you intend to fight for custody and you are aware this means you are responsible for child support. We need to outline that you just became aware of Henry’s existence,” Rebecca took a deep breath and held it for a minute while she waited for Chris’s reaction. Amazingly enough, he didn’t explode like she thought he might. “We paint the picture as nice as we can toward Mallory, but we do need to indicate that she withheld Henry from you for years. This is so the court does not immediately look unfavorably against you for not paying child support for all these years.”

Chris nodded, he understood the strategy there. He figured it could look like he was a “deadbeat” dad for never being in his son’s life before now. It would be best to head that off at the pass in the court motion.

Over the remainder of the meeting, Rebecca went over the remaining documents and how this would play out. Most of the documents could be signed by Chris in advance and could be filed when they were ready. This would allow the process to keep moving even when Chris had other things going on. Primarily, his trip to Disney with his family. He was leaving on Saturday, and he didn’t want to postpone the trip.

~ * ~

Chris left Rebecca’s office and drove over to his mom’s house. He had talked to her on the phone but had avoided seeing her in person since his return from Atlanta. Now that he had the DNA results back and a game plan for the court filings, he was ready to see her and take whatever came his way. Besides, with the Disney trip coming up this weekend, there would be no way he could avoid her.

He pulled into the driveway, noticing his sister’s van was home. That meant he would have to deal with Carly and his mom, just what he needed! He took a deep breath and flung open the car door and started up the sidewalk. His sister met him at the door, “Well if it ain’t the anointed one blessing us with his presence,” Carly bowed as he walked in the door.

“Fuck off,” Chris replied as he gave her a hug and laughed. “Where’s Ma?”

“In here,” Lisa’s voice echoed. Chris could tell she was in her office and he pulled away from Carly and made his way toward the entry way to her home office, sliding the doors open and walking in. Carly was right behind him, just as he suspected she would be.

“Hey, Ma,” Chris greeted her as he walked in, taking a seat in the chair situated in the corner of her office, across from her desk. He noticed that Carly sat in the opposite corner from him, watching every move he made. “Is there something you want to say, Carly?”

“I just want to hear the details of your trip to Atlanta. Find out how things are working out with Mallory and Henry,” she said with a devilish smile. She could tell from the look on Chris’s face that not all of what he had to say was good. She had no intention of giving him a hard time but figured she could at least be a supportive big sister.

Chris leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, “I’ve received the official news today that Henry is mine. The DNA test results are back,” his voice was even, no emotion to speak of which was surprising to his mother and sister.

“Was there any real doubt about that, Chris?” Lisa asked hesitantly, she couldn’t help but be a bit confused at this point.

“No, there was no doubt. But I had to have the test run so I can start the court proceedings,” this caught the attention of Carly. She leaned forward so that she would not miss a word of what Chris was about to say. “Things didn’t go well with Mallory, and that’s all I’m going to say.”

Lisa could tell that it was hard for Chris to talk about it and decided not to push. She was glad to see that Carly recognized it as well. Chris needed their support and not a million questions. There were several that Lisa needed to ask and she was going to try to be as delicate as possible. “Chris, I’m sorry to ask this, but I take it that Henry won’t be joining us on the trip then?”

Chris shook his head, not able to vocalize his response. Lisa nodded and then looked at Carly, “Okay, we won’t ask anything else about him and we’ll make sure no one brings him up. I’m sorry that she didn’t change her mind.”

Chris glanced back and forth between his mother and sister, “Mallory isn’t a monster. I’m pissed and hurt but she’s got her reasons, and while I don’t agree with them, I know she has issues she needs to overcome. I’m not sitting on my hands and letting it go, though. I’m taking her to court.”

“Chris!” Carly gasped and sat up straight in her chair, “My God, you realize you’ll be in every tabloid and on every gossip site for this, right? Think about what you’re doing,” Carly was pleading with him.

“I know and I see no other way. She doesn’t think I’ll go this far, but I want my son, and I’m willing to go public to get what I want.”

~ * ~  
Mallory paced around her home office. She had been back at work for only a few hours but her mind was racing, she couldn’t get certain things out of her head. Lately, her sleep had been restless and once again it was attributed to Chris but for an entirely different reason. This last round of arguments between the two of them had her thinking, and she couldn’t turn off her brain. It also meant she couldn’t concentrate on the work in front of her. Her desk was piled high with deadlines and ledgers that needed to be worked, but she couldn’t quit thinking about Chris and Henry.

Mallory reached for her cell and dialed Darby’s number. The phone rang several times before her best friend finally answered. “You aren’t with a patient are you?” Mallory asked frantically.

“I was, but they just left. So, what’s on your mind?”

“I need to know if I make a decision, will you stand by me?”

“Can you be specific, Mallory? I mean, what kind of decision are you talking about?”

“Will you go with me if I make an appointment to see my attorney?”

This was not what Darby expected to hear. “Sure, call and make an appointment and let me know when it is. I’ll clear my schedule and go with you.”

“Ok, thanks,” and without a further word, Mallory hung up the phone and dialed the number for her attorney before she lost her nerve. The card had been on her desk for weeks since John had given it to her. She had talked to Mark Fitzgerald on the phone one time but had never met him face-to-face.

John had given him the details of the case, so he was already familiar with everything He knew that Mallory would reach out when she was ready. His secretary answered the phone, “Mark Fitzgerald’s office, this is Mary, how can I help you?”

“Hello, Mary, my name is Mallory Turner, and I need to make an appointment to see Mark. I’d like to get in as soon as possible, please.”

Mallory could hear the clicking of the keyboard, and suddenly Mary’s voice was back on the line, “Ms. Turner, would you be available to come in tomorrow afternoon? We have an opening at 1 pm.”

“That would be wonderful, Mary, I’ll be there. Thank you so much.” As Mallory disconnected the call, she quickly fired off a text to Darby letting her know about the appointment. She just hoped she could get some sleep knowing what she was preparing to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Mallory was nervous, it had been her idea to go to the attorney’s office, but now she second- guessed her decision. Deep down she figured this was why she had asked Darby to go with her. She needed someone to hold her accountable and make her go through with it. She was ready by 10:30 am, which meant she had plenty of time before she needed to leave. The problem was, she had too much time before she needed to leave, so she paced incessantly through her home office. She played over the narrative in her mind and played through the checklist of what she needed and whether it was in her briefcase or not.

The gameplan for the day was to pick up Darby and grab a quick lunch before heading to the attorney’s office. Mark’s office was in the same law firm where John worked, so at least Mallory had a comfort level in where she was going. She had not shared the plans for this meeting with either John or Darby, for fear that once she said it out loud, she would change her mind.

Mallory had been doing some serious thinking over the last few days. She had been attempting to keep a brave façade for everyone, but internally she was crumbling. The fight with Chris took more out of her than she realized and it caused her to do some soul searching. The fact that it had created such a ripple effect with Henry without even realizing it ate away at her. She didn’t know that her son had been so astute and now she regretted that she didn’t listen to Chris and just tell Henry the truth when she had the chance.

Mallory was happy that things with Henry had been better over the past few days. But she was confident that had more to do with his daily calls with Chris more than anything. She was questioning her parenting and finding that Chris was stepping it up and she couldn’t deny him the title of father any longer. The calming influence he had over Henry had made her relationship with her son better, whether he intended to do that or not, she didn’t know. This just solidified her reasoning to make this move to speak with the attorney.

When Henry was getting ready for school that morning, Mallory had told him that she wanted to have a talk with him when he got home from school. Henry rolled his eyes, thinking his mom didn’t see him, but she did. He tried to ask a million questions regarding the subject and then put forth a million excuses as to why he couldn’t have the meeting. Mallory deflected the questions and insisted that he wasn’t in trouble, but it was important that they talk. She told him it would not be painful. Of course, she knew it would be for her, but she prayed he would not feel the pain. She hugged him and told him that she loved him and once again he rolled his eyes, not saying it back, but responding with the ever popular, “Whatever, Mom!”

Mallory glanced at the clock and found that only five minutes had passed since she last checked the time. She couldn’t stand the waiting! She texted Darby and told her she wanted to leave early for lunch and she was on her way. She figured getting it over with was the only way to get moving forward.

~ * ~

The ladies ate a leisurely lunch before leaving and heading towards the office building that housed the offices of Blandings and Tate, Attorneys at Law. Darby had wanted to ask Mallory a million questions during lunch but refrained. She knew that this was a big deal for her best friend and could tell she was stressing about her decision; she didn’t want to push it any further for her.

As Mallory pulled her 2010 Rav4 into the parking spot in front of the building, she gripped the steering wheel tight and took in a deep breath. As she exhaled, Darby reached over and put her hand on Mallory’s and said, “Whatever you are about to do, you can do it. You’re strong, you’re capable, and I have faith in you. I’m here for you, okay?” Mallory turned and looked at her best friend and gave her a weak smile. “But promise me one thing. When we get out of this meeting, we are going to go find you a new car. You have money, Mallory and this car is a piece of shit! You’ve run it into the ground, and it needs to be replaced.”

Mallory let out a hearty belly laugh, “Okay, okay, I promise. I know you hate this car, but Henry and I love it.” Mallory looked at the car and then back over at Darby, “You know I’m trying to be brave, right?”

Darby nodded and moved her hand from Mallory’s. They each exited the car and began walking towards the building without saying anything further. The expansive lobby of the building was enclosed in glass, the sun reflected off the panes providing a prism effect on the marble floor. Mallory felt like she was walking on a rainbow as she moved to the elevator bank and stepped into the waiting car and pushed the button for the 7th floor. As they stepped out into the reception area for the Blandings and Tate office, Mallory’s stomach was swirling with butterflies. Darby went over to the receptionist to check in; she knew the woman since she was in the office quite frequently to see John.

Several minutes passed before Mary, Mark’s secretary, came out to usher them to Mark’s office. Mallory wasn’t sure what she was expecting when the door opened, but she found Mark Fitzgerald to be a tall, stately gentleman around fifty years old with salt and pepper hair. She had to admit, this is not what she would have pictured, but she was not disappointed. He was attractive but more than that, he appeared very warm and had a welcoming personality. Mallory immediately felt the tension in her shoulders release as she took a seat across from his desk.

Mark took his seat behind his large oak desk and steepled his fingers at his lips, watching Mallory very carefully. No words were spoken right away, it was as if he was visually measuring her. He finally leaned forward, picking up his pen and notebook, “It is nice to meet you, Mallory. Do you want to tell me what prompted you to go ahead and make this appointment?” He questioned her without sounding accusatory or hateful.

While his question was innocuous, it still made Mallory fidget in her seat and glance over at Darby before she looked back at Mark. “Um, I’ve decided I want to amend my son’s birth certificate and add his father’s name. I knew who the father was when Henry was born, but I elected not to identify him because he didn’t know I was pregnant. I want to make it right and give him parental rights.” Mallory lowered her head and stared at her lap, unable to make eye contact with Mark or Darby at that point.

To say that Darby was shocked would be an understatement. Mallory had been defiant in all of her arguments with Chris that she would not give in before Christmas. Henry would not find out about Chris being his father until after the holiday. And now, Mallory was sitting in front of an attorney and willingly giving Chris parental rights and putting him on the birth certificate. Darby was extremely curious as to what had caused this seismic shift.

Mark could see that Darby was shocked and could tell that Mallory was shaken by her own request. He elected not to push right away for answers. Instead, he gave her a moment before he spoke, “Ms. Turner, I must admit I am taken by surprise with your request. I was with the understanding from the original documentation I received that you were fighting this sort of action.” Mark let his words hang in the air, not anticipating Mallory would answer him right away. “I have to be blunt, I’m sorry, but what made you change your mind? Is Mr. Evans putting some pressure on you? Is he threatening you in some way?”

This made Mallory’s head snap up, and her eyes go wide. “Absolutely not, he’s not threatening me or pressuring me. Well, I mean he keeps pushing but nothing more than that,” her eyes darted over to Darby and back to Mark. “Oh God, you think he’s blackmailing me or something? No! Not at all, Chris isn’t like that, I swear.”

Darby reached over and touched Mallory’s arm, “Sweetie, you can understand why he asked, right? This is a significant change in what you’ve said you wanted to do. It’s a logical conclusion.”

“I get it, but I’m doing this for Henry, not Chris. My son deserves to have his father, it’s not fair for me to deny him that any longer. I want Henry to be happy because I love him more than anything in the entire world.” A tear escaped, falling down her cheek. Mallory didn’t want to cry, but she was opening up and being honest about what she was doing and why.

Mark nodded his head, showing he understood what she was saying. He gave her a faint smile and then asked, “Do you happen to know if Mr. Evans has retained an attorney? I’m going to assume if he has, it would be in Boston, or do you know?” Mark looked back at the file on his desk and began flipping through the pages.

“I don’t really know, we didn’t talk about it. But I would venture to say he has and it is probably a Boston attorney since he is living there at the moment. I could reach out to my friend Josh and see if he knows anything; he works for Chris.” Mallory sat a little straighter in her chair.

“No, that won’t be necessary, and I certainly don’t want to use one of his friends against him. We can send all of the appropriate paperwork to his home address, I’m sure he’ll just forward to his attorney.”

The pages turning in the file folder were a bit of a distraction for Mallory. She cleared her throat in an attempt to get Mark’s attention, it worked as he stopped turning the pages and slowly turned his gaze toward her. “Mr. Fitzgerald, I would like to be very clear on something, and I hope I don’t come across as rude. I have no intention of going after Chris for child support, not past due balances or future money. I want nothing more than putting his name on the birth certificate and moving forward with agreeing to a custody arrangement. I don’t want to go to court, and I don’t want this in the media. I just want to be fair to Henry and to Chris,” she cast a hard gaze at her attorney, “Can you do that?”

Mark sat back in his chair and smiled. “I like that you know what you want and are not compromising your principles for it. I can do what you’re asking, but you have to know that while I may not ask for the child support, it does not mean the State of Georgia won’t have a say about it. They very well might make him pay, even if you aren’t asking.”

“Can’t you tell them I don’t want it?”

“I can, but they don’t have to listen to me. We can put it in our petition that we aren’t looking for compensatory judgments, but the court has the final say in what is in the best interest for Henry. The inheritance you’ve received recently does help you, though. They will see you aren’t struggling to provide for your son while Mr. Evans does rather well for himself.”

“Guess my parents leaving me money was good for something,” Mallory muttered quietly. She had been able to provide for Henry just fine without money from her parents, and she was offended to believe that the court would not see it that way. She didn’t spend the money her parents left her, it was sitting in the bank in one type of fund or another. But on paper, well on paper she was quite wealthy.

“How about your will? Is Mr. Evans listed as Henry’s guardian in the event that something would happen to you?” Mark asked, stopping to look up from the file folder and the notes he was making.

“No, I still have Darby and John listed as Henry’s guardians,” Mallory looked over at Darby as if silently asking if that was still acceptable. “I’d rather wait until all of this is official, and I’ve told Henry before I make that change. I need to make sure that Chris wants to be saddled with raising Henry if something were to happen. I’ll be honest, I still have my doubts,” she trailed off without further explanation.

Mark made a few keystrokes on the computer and then turned his attention back to her. “Mary will bring the documents in for you to sign in just a few minutes. I’m not sure I can get them to the courthouse and filed today, but we can get them downtown first thing tomorrow morning. With it being here at the weekend, it will take a little over a week to go through.”

“Will we have to go to court?”

“No, not for the birth certificate. Once I get the word that he’s been put on the document, I’ll make him aware, and we can begin discussions for custody. I don’t want to have his friend put in an awkward situation, but if you do happen to find out an attorney’s name, please let me know. I would go ahead and reach out to them in advance. There is one other thing, though,” Mark hesitated, waiting for Mallory’s reaction. She nodded to indicate he should go on, “I could go ahead and overnight him a letter that advises him we are moving forward with this action.”

Darby used the opportunity to chime in, “It would be a goodwill gesture, Mal. Let him know you’re doing it and moving forward. It could be your early Christmas present to him.”

“It could prompt Mr. Evans to provide his attorney information so that we could quickly handle custody conversations before the birth certificate finalization. It could speed up the process immensely,” Mark interjected.

Mallory chewed on her bottom lip as if she was contemplating the suggestion. It made complete sense for that to happen, Chris would find out tomorrow, and she would have already told Henry the truth. “Send the letter, do I need to sign it or would it just be from your office?” she asked quietly.

“It would just be from my office,” Mark replied, tapping out notes on his keyboard before making a mark within the file folder on his desk.

“So, the steps from this point on will be based on his reaction from the letter?” Mallory’s question was pointed but yet unsure.

“Yes, and the timeframe from the court on the birth certificate change. I honestly don’t see any issue with the document modification, but you never know.” As Mark was closing the file on his desk, Mary slowly opened the door to his office and walked in to hand him a new folder. She quietly exited, and Mark opened the folder and pushed it towards Mallory, “This is the petition to the court to modify the birth certificate. Mary has flagged the documents where we need you to sign,” Mark handed her his pen and Mallory’s hand shook as she took it from him.

Mallory turned her head and looked at Darby who was giving her a half-smile and giving her a supportive nod. Mallory turned back to the desk and with a pen to paper, signed her name to move the process forward. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. While she knew she had a hurdle to jump with Henry that evening, the first step was the hardest with the birth certificate. Mallory hoped this could go a long way in repairing her relationship with ChrisMark slid the folder back in his direction after Mallory had placed the pen back on the desk. “I’ll get Mary to type the letter to Mr. Evans, and we will get out in the overnight this evening. This petition,” Mark glanced at his watch, “I think I might be able to get it downtown today, after all. If not, for sure in the morning. I will keep you apprised of updates from Mr. Evans, his attorney, or the court.”

Mallory stood up and extended her hand to Mark, “Thank you so much, Mr. Fitzgerald. I appreciate all of your help.”

“It’s my pleasure and I’ll be speaking with you very soon.”

Mallory exited the room with Darby following close behind. The two ladies made their way to the elevator bank and down to the main lobby without exchanging a single word. However, steps before reaching the doors to the parking lot, Darby couldn’t help herself. She placed her hand on Mallory’s elbow to get her attention, “Wait a minute, before we go outside, can we just talk about what just happened up there?”

Mallory stopped walking and turned back to look at Darby, her eyes were full of unshed tears, and her cheeks were flush. Darby immediately pulled her into a hug, sensing that she needed it at that moment. As Mallory pulled back, she let it out, “This last fight with Chris, it just got me thinking.” Tears escaped and slowly trickled down Mallory’s cheeks, she made no movement to wipe them away. “I admitted that I loved him, and you know I do. I’m hurting him and I don’t want to. But I’m hurting Henry, I had no idea that he was so aware of what was going on. It’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?”

Darby could tell Mallory needed validation. She had no one to talk to, no family to work this out with and she needed direction. “Yes, it’s the right thing to do, and I’m proud of you for making this decision. I just wasn’t expecting it,” Darby pulled Mallory in for another hug, wanting to make sure that she knew she had all the support she needed for this. “So, this means you’re going to tell Henry?”

Mallory stepped back, this time she wiped away the fallen tears and tried to pull her shoulders back. “Yeah, I’m going to tell him tonight, after dinner,” Mallory took a deep breath and let it out, needing to calm her fast beating heart and her frayed nerves. “Darby, Henry wants a dad so bad, and he deserves one, you know? He was so happy when Chris was here and he had someone to watch sports with and hang out with. When Chris left, it hurt him and I realized I did that to him. And what was worse, Henry made sure to point it out to me that I did it to him.”

Mallory walked over and sat on a bench that was in the lobby. The weight of this conversation was making it hard for her to stand. Darby followed and took a seat next to her. “It finally hit me, almost like an epiphany. I wasn’t protecting me, I was hurting Henry. That was never my intention, you have to know that, Darby.”

“I know that John knows that, and I’m sure Chris knows that, too.”

“I don’t know, I think Chris thinks I’m a monster,” Mallory bowed her head as if she was reflecting on her words. “You know he calls Henry almost daily, and it just brightens Henry’s mood. He gets so excited to tell me what they talked about and he can’t wait until Chris comes to town to start filming.” The tears started falling down her cheeks again, “I just needed to do this for him, make him happy and give him a dad now that I know Chris wants to be in his life.”

Darby could see the pain and agony that Mallory was going through, but she could also sense that there was some relief that she had some to this decision. Darby knew that Mallory had long felt guilt over Chris not knowing he had a son and now ow she felt the guilt of her son not knowing his dad. Darby just didn’t realize that Henry was so aware of the tension between Mallory and Chris. Didn’t realize that Henry’s awareness ended up being her tipping point to this decision. She knew that Mallory would eventually get to this place, but she had to get there on her own, and evidently she needed a push from Henry.

Darby raised her hand and began to rub Mallory’s back in comfort, “So, Chris has no idea that you’re doing this? You just came to a decision and pulled the trigger?”

Mallory raised her head and once again wiped at her cheeks. She silently thanked herself for the decision to not wear mascara or eyeliner today. She knew she would cry and had a feeling that the makeup would be smeared all over her face by this point from the tears. “No, I haven’t told him. I wanted to talk to Mark and see what was going to happen so when I told Chris I could have the details,” Mallory began fidgeting with her rings, she was nervous and didn’t know what to do with her hands. “I wanted to tell Henry by myself. I was scared if I told Chris I was going to do this he would jump on a plane and come down here. I just need to do it on my own, Henry and me.”

Darby put her hand on Mallory’s hands, “I’m really proud of you, this is such a big step. John and I are here for you and we are on standby tonight if you need us when you talk to Henry, okay?” Darby gave Mallory a smile and then wrapped her arm around her best friend’s shoulders. “Whatever you need, let me know. Now, let’s get going so you can get home and start getting ready for this talk with Henry.”The ladies stood from the bench and pushed open the lobby doors, walking across the parking lot to where the car was parked. Mallory unlocked the vehicle and as they pulled out onto the busy street, there was only silence for the first few miles. Mallory was concentrating on the drive and keeping her emotions in check but the silence was driving Darby insane. She wanted to lighten the mood, she feared the heavy emotions and silence were going to be too much for Mallory and would end up distracting her.

“Ok, I can’t take it, I need coffee!”

Mallory flinched, “Shit, you scared the crap out of me, Darby,” she then burst out laughing. “I can stop up here, we can get a drink at our favorite little spot.”

“Great! Would you care if we went inside instead of doing drive-thru? I love the time away from the office and the kids, I’d like to capitalize on this escape just a little longer if possible.” Mallory gave a good-natured chuckle at her friend’s comment.

Darby and Mallory sipped their coffee at one of the little bistro tables inside the coffee shop. They elected to keep their conversation centered on any subject that would not lead back to Chris. As they were exiting to go back to the car, both women commented on how heavy the traffic appeared to be heading in their direction. Someone heading into the coffee shop overheard them and let them know there was a bad accident up the road about three miles and it was starting to back up traffic. He warned them to be patient, it would be a long drive for them.

When Mallory started to turn left from the side road back onto the main highway, the traffic light ended up changing before she could get through the intersection. She was left hanging, exposed to the traffic coming from the other direction. Darby hated when this sort of thing happened, knowing it was a disaster waiting to happen. They were lucky there was no traffic coming toward them, no one had been waiting at the light. Mallory started inching forward, hoping to try to make it through before any traffic arrived. However, as Darby glanced over and noticed traffic coming toward them. Specifically, a semi was approaching quickly and didn’t seem to be slowing down, he just started blaring his horn.

“Mallory, you need to move up, there’s a truck coming,” the panic in Darby’s voice was noticeable.

“I’m trying, but there’s no place for me to go!” She was starting to panic as well, she could see the truck out of the corner of her eye.

As she started to take defensive action, trying to squeeze between the car in front of her and the median, the impact happened. The truck slammed into the driver’s side of the SUV, pushing it across the intersection. They clipped the median guardrail and moved into the path of oncoming traffic. Darby felt the impact of the vehicles hitting the passenger side of the car. Although that impact was not nearly as forceful as the semi had been on the driver’s side. The air was full of sounds of blaring horns, screeching tires, screams, and exploding glass. There was the whoosh of the airbags deploying and the hot air bursting forward as the bags inflated. Darby tried to brace herself for impact but was horrified to realize that Mallory’s seatbelt had snapped and she was being tossed around like a rag doll. It was at that moment that Darby realized the screams she heard were coming from her own mouth.

As quickly as it all started, the cacophony of sounds stopped suddenly, it was eerily quiet. Darby figured from the moment Mallory moved through the intersection to the end of the wreck, only a few moments had passed. Yet it felt like hours.

Suddenly she heard the sounds of blaring sirens, they were approaching fast. She realized she couldn’t move, the damage to the car was too extensive, she was pinned in.

“Mallory, can you hear me?” Darby’s voice was faint, and she knew it was from all of her screaming. “Mallory, honey, please wake up and tell me you’re okay.” Darby tried to move her arms but couldn’t, her right arm was pinned against the door, her left arm was pinned by the driver’s seat which had been pushed into the passenger compartment.

Darby tried to move her body since her arms were stuck, even the slightest movement might provide her the ability to see her best friend and assess what her status might be. But after she moved, she wished she hadn’t. Mallory was slumped forward, her head on the steering wheel and she was facing Darby. Her eyes were open, but they were void of life, her face was covered in blood. It was evident that she had massive head trauma.

Once again Darby began to scream, this time for the pain of what she had just lost.

~ * ~

Chris was upstairs packing for the trip to Disney. His brother had brought over a pizza and some beer and they were going to hang out once he had all of his packing done. He had left his phone downstairs and he could hear it ringing every few minutes. Henry was still in school, so he knew he wasn’t calling. His agent knew he was going on vacation and didn’t think he was calling with any projects. But someone was fucking persistent.

“Scott, who’s calling me?” Chris yelled down the stairs to his brother.

“It’s an Atlanta number, but there is no name on it,” Scott yelled back up to his brother.

“If it rings again, answer the damn thing, will ya?”

Almost immediately after the words left his mouth, the phone rang again. Scott answered it, “Chris’s answering service, this is Scott, how can I help you?”

“Um,” the voice on the other end was taken by surprise, “My name is John Simpson, I need to speak with Chris Evans, please.”

Scott was nosy and figured he would just screen the call, “I’m Chris’s brother, he can’t come to the phone at the moment. Can I help you with something or can I give him a message?”

“This is urgent, I really need to speak with him,” John tried to spit the words out. “Look, are you really Chris’s brother and are you actually in the house with him?”

“Yeah, dude, why so secretive?”

“This is regarding Mallory Turner, do you know who that is?”

Scott sat down on the couch, “Did something happen to Henry? Oh God, if something happened, it would be better for me so I can tell him rather than for you to tell him over the phone.”

John exhaled, “No, Henry’s safe, but…you’re right, it’d be better if I told you and you gave this news to him in person,” John choked back a sob. “There’s been an accident, Henry wasn’t involved, but Mallory was.”

Scott had a feeling he already knew the answer to this question before he asked, but he was going to ask anyway. “Is Mallory alright?” Scott’s question was met with silence and that’s when he knew. “Was Henry in the car with her when it happened?”

John blew out a breath and Scott could tell he had been crying, “No, he was in school, but my wife was in the car with her. We’re pretty shook up, Mallory was family to us and this is hard,” he openly sobbed and Scott could feel his heart breaking right along with John’s. “Darby and I have Henry, but Chris really needs to get down here. Some arrangements need to be made and,” John’s voice trailed off as he could no longer hold back the tears.

Scott found himself wiping away tears of his own. This was not the type of call he had expected to answer and he definitely didn’t want to tell his brother this news, it would shatter him. “John, I’m extremely sorry for your loss, it’s heartbreaking. Look, we’ll get Chris to Atlanta right away. Please give our best to your wife, and give Henry a hug for us. He doesn’t know that we’re his family, but we love him and we’re on our way.”

As Scott hung up the call, he moved to the rear of Chris’s house and immediately dialed his mom’s number. He was afraid if he stayed in the living room that his voice could drift up the stairs and Chris would overhear what he was telling her. When Lisa Evans answered, Scott quickly filled his Ma in on the particulars of the accident, or what he was able to glean from his call with John. Lisa told him to hold off speaking to Chris until she got there, they could tell him the news together.

That was fine with Scott, there was no way he wanted to be the one to break the news to his brother that the woman he was in love with had just died. He didn’t want to be the one to devastate his brother like that and watch the pain wash across his face. And he certainly didn’t want to watch his brother come to terms with the idea of taking his son to bury his mother. The entirety of the situation made Scott sick to his stomach.

He paced the living room, practicing to himself what he would say to Chris. He also checked his watch every few seconds with the hopes that it would make his mother appear in the driveway faster. So far it wasn’t working. He could still hear Chris upstairs packing and just prayed that he wouldn’t come downstairs until after their mother walked in the door. Finally, Scott saw headlights flash across the front window and he realized it was his mom pulling into the driveway. He made his way to the front door and opened it just as Lisa had stepped onto the front porch.

As she stepped in the front door, she handed Scott her purse and shrugged off her coat, “Chris is still upstairs,” Scott whispered as he sat her purse on the sideboard table in the entryway. “He doesn’t know I called you.”

“No, Chris is on the stairs and can hear you,” his voice was booming as he walked down the steps and stared at his mom and brother, confusion evident on his face. “What’s going on? Ma, why are you here?” Chris noticed that the two of them looked morose and it was starting to scare him. He stopped, just shy of the bottom steps and stared back and forth at his family. “What’s going on?”

Lisa reached for his arm and spoke softly, her tone even and consoling, “Chris, come in and sit down for a second.”

“No, I won’t, not until you tell me what’s going on. Scott, I heard the phone ring, who the hell was it?” Chris glared at his brother, and when Scott looked away, a sick feeling began to wash over him. “Jesus, you called mom after you hung up. Fuck, what happened? Something’s happened to Henry?”

The panic was beginning to spike in Chris’s voice, and once again Lisa reached for him. Chris pulled his hand back, and she could see the fear in his eyes; his pupils were dilated and his breathing was starting to get ragged. Lisa’s voice remained calm, “Chris, Henry is okay, I promise. But yes, Scott got a call from Atlanta, then he called me.”

“The call was from John, there’s been an accident, Chris,” Scott could barely get the words out. Once again his eyes were starting to well with tears, and his voice was starting to crack. He couldn’t get the words out, “Darby and Mallory were in an accident. I’m so sorry, Chris.” Scott began to sob, he couldn’t hold back


	10. Chapter 10

The panic was evident on Chris’s face as he tried to digest the words Scott had just spoken. Somehow they just didn’t register. He glanced over at his mother and noticed she was crying, the tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were red-rimmed. All at once it hit him and Chris felt as if he’d been shot. He dropped to the steps, putting his head in his hands and repeating the word “No,” over and over until it came out in a scream.

His head shot up and he looked at Scott, “Please tell me that you’re not saying she’s dead?” Chris stood up and reached for Scott’s shirt, balling the fabric in his hands and getting in Scott’s face, “Tell me she’s not dead, Scott!”

Scott’s face displayed the fear and anguish that he knew was only magnified in his brother’s grief. “I wish I could, Chris,” Scott tried to hold off the tears. He hated to tell his brother this type of news, and more so, he hated to see the pain in his brother’s eyes. “Man, I am so sorry.”

Lisa Evans reached out and touched her eldest son’s shoulder, “Let him go, Chris. I know it hurts, but let Scott go and come sit down a minute.” As Chris let Scott go he turned to look at his mom, she was gesturing for him to sit on the step. Lisa took a seat next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, “John called and gave Scott the news and then he called me to come over. We don’t have all of the details, we just know that Henry was in school and not in the car. Evidently, Darby was with her when it happened, though.”

Chris’s head snapped and he looked at his mom, “Is Darby alright? Were her kids in the car?”

Scott spoke up to give the information he knew, “John didn’t mention his children, but he said that Darby is alive and she’ll be okay. He didn’t go into details about her injuries, and I didn’t ask. He was real upset, though.”

Chris rubbed his hands on his thighs, “I need to get a flight to Atlanta. I need to be there for Henry.”

Lisa pulled Chris a little closer to her, “We’ve already got it covered. I called Jim, he’s arranging to get a chartered flight to get us all down to Atlanta. He and Meghan will fly down and be on standby for you and handle any media issues that come up.”

“I’m not concerned with that right now,” Chris said in a biting tone.

“I know that, but they need to be prepared and take care of anything that comes up because you won’t be able to. Don’t be angry because we’re trying to protect you and Henry from the media, Chris.”

His head dropped and his shoulders slumped, “Sorry, yeah I didn’t think about that. Oh God, this isn’t happening.”

Lisa rested her head on Chris’s shoulder, “Carly and Ryan are getting everyone together and they’ll meet us at the airport. Carly called your dad and Guillermo.”

Chris rubbed his hands down his thighs and without saying anything, untangled himself from his mother’s embrace and stood up. “I had just finished packing for Disney, so I need to repack my bags. I’ll be back downstairs in a few minutes,” he turned and slowly walked up the steps without saying anything further.

Scott watched as his brother moved up the stairway and towards his bedroom, “Why isn’t he lashing out?” He looked over at his mom, shock mixed into the sadness in his eyes.

Lisa stood from the steps and walked towards her youngest son, pulling him in for a hug. “He’s in shock, Scott and he’s not really sure how to react. In a matter of seconds, his entire world was turned upside down. It’ll hit him and we just need to be there for him when it does.”

Scott pulled back, “Is anyone calling Josh to tell him what happened?”

“I think Carly was going to ask Guillermo to do that. There’s a chance John might have already called him, though,” Lisa offered as she turned to look up at Chris’s room. 

“Ma, is he going to be okay?”

“I hope so, but this is going to hurt for a while.”

~ * ~

Scott and Lisa waited for almost thirty minutes for Chris to repack his bags and return downstairs. He didn’t speak as he walked out to the car and put his things in the trunk and got into the backseat. Chris never argued or attempted to drive. Usually, he made a big deal about wanting the be in control and drive and not feeling safe when Scott or Lisa drove. Today, however, he was willingly handing over the keys. He quickly texted John, he had his number thanks to the missed calls, and let him know he was on his way to the airport to fly down. Chris didn’t have the courage to speak with John at the moment; he wasn’t sure his voice or his emotions could hold it together long enough to handle the conversation. 

John texted back and let him know that he was staying up at the hospital with Darby, but Noah’s parents were watching Henry. Chris was welcome to stay at John and Darby’s home if he wanted, they were prepared for him. Chris sent him a text back and said he would find out from Henry where he would be comfortable, and they would let John know. Chris asked about Darby’s injuries, John said he didn’t want to discuss them right now, he wanted to just get Chris settled and to take care of Henry. This made Chris think that Darby’s injuries were quite severe and he worried if she would pull through. He didn’t want to ask that question of John, at least not right now, and certainly not via text.

When Chris looked up, he realized Scott was pulling onto the tarmac at the airport and saw his entire family waiting for their arrival. He noticed that Guillermo was standing off to the side talking with Josh. The realization slammed into him, Josh and Mallory were close, and this was a jolt for him, too. He hadn’t even thought of Josh. 

As the car stopped, Chris pulled himself out of the backseat and pulled his shoulders back. He braced himself for the onslaught of the family that would move forward to give their condolences, most likely to the point of practically smothering him. However, it was as if they didn’t approach him. Well, there was an exception or two. As Chris began walking toward the plane his nephew, Miles, and his niece, Stella, came running toward him. Ryan and Carly reacted and came toward them, but Chris waved them off. He bent down and the kids wrapped their arms around his neck.

“Hey guys,” Chris choked out as he stood, both kids hanging on and wrapping their legs around him.

“Momma say you sad,” Stella murmured as she placed her hand on Chris’s cheek and wiped away a tear. “Me sad now.”

Miles put his head on Chris’s shoulder, “I love you, Uncle Chris.”

“I love you both,” Chris gave both of them a kiss and then turned back to his niece, “I don’t want you to be sad, Stella.” He hugged the kids a little tighter and then started walking toward the plane. He couldn’t see his mom standing behind him, she was crying into Scott’s shoulder.

As Chris approached Carly and Ryan, they each took one of their kids from him and moved to board the plane. Chris walked away while everyone else boarded the plane. He didn’t want to talk to anyone and didn’t want them staring at him with pity in their eyes. When everyone had boarded, Chris stepped up and into the plane, taking a seat at the front. This wasn’t his usual position when he flew on the private plane. He generally sat toward the back in one of the seats that were grouped together. Instead, he was seated in a chair that faced forward, his back to everyone else. The only other passenger that sat up front with him was Josh, and he was across the aisle from him.

All conversations halted when Chris took his seat. In fact, everyone on the plane remained quiet until after take off. When they were in the air, and Chris put his earbuds in, Robert Evans leaned forward and spoke to his former wife, Lisa. “How’s he holding up? Has he broken down yet or is he still keeping it all bottled up?”

“He’s doing about as expected, keeping it all bottled up. I think he’s still in shock,” Lisa glanced toward the front of the plane. “Maybe you can talk to him, Bob. He needs to break down and get it out of his system. I’m worried about him, and I know Scott is, too.”

“I am, too,” Carly chimed in, “I’ve never seen him look so lost before. It hurts to see him like this.”

Ryan, Chris’s brother-in-law, leaned forward and joined the conversation, “He has a son to be strong for, maybe he feels like he can’t afford to breakdown right now because of Henry. I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do, but Chris is an emotional guy, and maybe he needs to fight that for Henry.”

“Well, Henry needs to cry,” Shanna spoke up. “Maybe Chris thinks he’ll let his emotions out with Henry. Instead of judging what Chris should do, let’s just support him. He’s in pain, that’s for sure.”

Lisa glanced forward again, “Yeah, and so is Josh. Were his parents not able to come along?” Lisa looked over at Carly and Ryan to see if they knew the answer.

“No, they couldn’t leave tonight, so they’re packing up some stuff and heading down tomorrow. They’re bringing the attorney Mallory had in Boston, I guess it has something to do with the inheritance she had from her parents.”

“How did Josh take the news?” Scott asked, wondering if the reaction was similar or different from his brother.

“He broke down, or that’s what Guillermo said. I guess he hadn’t talked to her in a few days, she had called him and he told her he didn’t have time to talk. He had told her he wasn’t interested in hearing about the drama with Chris. So, he’s got some guilt over his last conversation with her being short and snippy because he never called her back,” Carly explained to them.

Ryan raised his chin at the front of the plane, “He’s been tearing up the entire time. He hasn’t talked to Chris at all and I think their relationship is still awkward. This might actually be an opportunity for them to mend their fences.”

Chris was listening to music, but he was sure that his family was talking about him behind his back. He had stolen a glance at Josh a few times and noticed his friend had been crying but had recently dozed off. The thoughts that kept running through his mind as he stared out the window at the evening sky had to do with how he would handle talking to Henry and how he would keep his emotions in check. He also figured he would have to talk to Josh at some point; that conversation worried him more than he was willing to admit out loud to anyone.

The flight attendant stepped forward to let everyone know they would be making their descent into Atlanta very shortly. She wanted them to prepare themselves.

Before preparing for landing, Guillermo appeared next to Chris. Tapping him on the arm to get his attention, he began to speak, “Sorry to bother you, man. I wanted you to know I have several cars at the airport for us. There are hotel reservations for everyone but you and Josh, I think you two were going to head out to John and Darby’s, right?”

Chris cleared his throat, “Um, yeah. We’re going out to get Henry,” Chris said, looking up and over at Josh.

“Ok, well I talked to John, he said Henry is at Noah’s. He’s been told the news, Chris and he was pretty shaken up, as you can imagine. They had to give him a sedative to calm him down.” As Guillermo said the words, Chris’s heart began to break even more. The fact that he wasn’t there when he son had to be given the most devastating news was more painful than everything else he was feeling. Guillermo could see the pain register on his friend’s face, “Do you want me to drive you guys out there? I’ve got no issue doing it, that’s what you have me around for.”

“No, but thanks. I think this is something Josh and I need to do alone.”

Guillermo stood and took his seat and waited for the plane to land. As the wheels hit the ground the plane pulled to a stop on the tarmac, everyone stepped off the plane and noticed the waiting vehicles. Chris took off for the sedan, leaving the SUV and the minivan for everyone else. Scott and Lisa started to follow Chris, insisting they were going to ride with him.

He turned to face them, “No, I want Josh to ride with me. The two of us are heading to the same place, the rest of you are heading to the hotel.” He could see his mom preparing to protest. “Ma, look, I know you’re worried, but Josh and I need to do this part alone. We both need to see Henry. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Lisa nodded, although she absolutely hated what he had to say. She could at least understand where he was coming from.

Chris slid into the driver’s seat of the sedan and waited for Josh to get in. Josh appreciated the invite, but this was awkward. He hadn’t talked to Chris since the night they all went out and Mallory got the wrong idea about the girl. Even though Josh was the one who smoothed it over for him, Chris never called him and talked to him about it. And Josh was confident that Chris knew he had put distance in his relationship with Mallory as well. As the drove, neither man spoke. Both of them were afraid to talk and they didn’t know how to start a conversation. It wasn’t until they were close to Mallory’s house that the realization hit Chris, he didn’t know which house was Noah’s. He remembered Mallory saying it was across the street and down a few houses but she didn’t say in which direction. Or did she and he didn’t remember? And how many houses was it? His head was swimming, he was having a hard time concentrating the closer they got to her house. She wasn’t going to be there. The pain in his chest became more prominent, he had to pull off the highway.

“What’s wrong, Chris?” Josh asked suddenly, “Are you okay?” Josh knew that Chris wasn’t okay in the sense of losing Mallory but he was clutching his chest and that signaled something entirely different.

Chris put the car in park and turned off the ignition. He then leaned forward against the steering wheel, his arm still clutching at his shirt. “She’s gone, Josh. I’ve spent the last two weeks having terse conversations just so I could talk to Henry. I loved her, and we spent the final days of her life arguing and fighting.” Chris just stared out the front windshield, but he had not broken down, no tears, just anguish in his voice and pain in his chest. “I’ve spent all this time fighting because I wanted Henry. I wanted to be his father and be present in his life. Well, now I got what I want, and it feels so fucking empty without her.”

Josh was the one who couldn’t hold back the tears. Chris’s declaration was heartbreaking, and he could tell that the pain was real. This wasn’t him acting for a role or trying to impress anyone, this was genuine. “Chris, you can get through this. You’ve got an amazing support system and you need to lean on them through this. For once, don’t try doing this on your own. Henry’s going to need you and he’s going to need his extended family, too.”

“I’m sorry, Josh. I’m sorry this drove a wedge in our friendship. Just so you know, I’m gonna need you, too,” he turned to look at his good friend and assistant in the seat next to him. “You’ve been a constant in Henry’s life for a long time, he trusts you. Hell, he might trust you more than he trusts me.”

Josh gave him a quizzical look, “He still doesn’t know, does he?” Chris shook his head in response to the question. “Oh shit! So, he loses his mom and finds out about you at the same time? We’re gonna have a shit storm you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I have no clue how I’m going to tell him I’m his dad and I’m here to help him bury his mom,” for the first time Chris’s voice started to crack. “Will you help me tell him that he’s my son? I mean, he’s gonna need a familiar face around, and I think if you and maybe John are there, it might go easier.”

A faint smile crossed Josh’s lips, “I can do that, Chris.”

“Thanks, now can you tell me which house is Noah’s? I have no fucking clue where I’m going,” Chris let out a light chuckle as he started the car and put it into gear. As he pulled back onto the highway, the tension in the car was eased, and Chris felt as if the weight on his shoulders had eased somewhat. 

Chris pulled the car into the driveway at Noah’s; the lights were on in the living room and Chris could see movement in the house. He didn’t see Henry, but he saw a young boy and he assumed that was Noah. Josh walked around the front of the car and put his hand on Chris’s shoulder, “You ready for this?” Chris gave a nod and the two men walked toward the door.

As they approached the front door, it opened automatically and a tall gentleman stepped out onto the porch. He extended his hand, “Hi, I’m Erik, Noah’s father and you must be Chris,” he then turned to Josh, “Hey, Josh, nice to see you again just wish it was under different circumstances.”

“I agree, Erik. How’s Henry doing?”

Erik pulled the door shut behind him, “He’s asleep upstairs, he had to be given a sedative to calm him down. He’s a mess as you can imagine and he just keeps talking about how he had been causing problems for his mom recently. He doesn’t know where she was before the accident, he just knows it was a car accident out on the highway. He thinks it’s his fault.”

Chris and Josh had exchanged glances before Chris spoke up. “Where was she? I mean, it sounds like she was someplace she doesn’t normally go, so Henry doesn’t know about it. What aren’t you saying?”

Erik bowed his head, “I’m an attorney as well and John confided the situation when he asked me to take care of Henry until you got here. I’m aware that you’re Henry’s father and I’m bound by confidentiality but John made me sign an NDA to keep your privacy intact.”

“Ok, that’s great but it doesn’t answer my question. What aren’t you telling me?”

“Mallory was at her lawyer’s office before the accident. She had a meeting with him and I don’t know the details. Darby was in the meeting with her but her injuries are pretty severe and she isn’t talking yet. John doesn’t know the specifics and I’m not even sure if they’ve told Mark yet about Mallory’s accident. I just know she was there and it had to do with Henry, so presumably, it had to do with you and with custody.”

Chris raked his hand through his hair and fear washed over him in a cold sweat. He suddenly felt sick and sat down on the steps that he had just walked up to the porch. Josh looked down at him, “Chris, what’s wrong? You look like you’re gonna be sick.”

Chris tried to swallow the lump that was in his throat. The wave of nausea had passed and he stood up, “I had a visit with my attorney earlier this week and filed a petition to be added to Henry’s birth certificate. They were going to send a notice to Mallory advising it was happening,” his voice trailed off.

“You didn’t kill her, Chris,” Josh spoke up, he could tell what Chris was thinking.

“Chris,” Erik spoke up, “I’m sorry, I truly am. But Josh is right, you didn’t kill her, the driver of the truck did that. Henry is feeling guilt and you need to make sure he stops beating himself up. Heed your own advice to him, it’s not your fault either. I’ve got a key to John and Darby’s house for you to stay there. John said the bonus room over the garage is set up for the two of you.”

“Where are John and Darby’s kids?” Josh asked, the thought suddenly dawning on him.

“John’s parents have them.”

“Is Darby going to be okay? I feel bad for not asking that already,” Chris offered quietly.

“It’ll be a long road with rehab, but eventually she’ll be okay. They’re keeping her sedated as well, she’s having a hard time with the fact that she watched Mallory die.”

“Erik, how did it happen?” Josh asked, “We’ve not been told much other than it was an accident.”

Erik blew out a breath, “She was hit by a semi, he slammed into the driver side of her car and spun them through an intersection where they were hit by a few other cars from the opposite direction.” Erik stopped and let the words sink in, watching the realization of the brutality of the accident wash over both Chris and Josh. Both men stood stoic, but Erik could tell they were fighting to keep it together. “She went instantly, she didn’t suffer. The paramedics confirmed it, but Darby had said after the car stopped moving she knew immediately. Henry doesn’t know the details other than it was an accident and she didn’t suffer. We’ve kept him away from the news.”

Erik turned and opened the door to the house and Josh and Chris followed him in. Erik’s wife, Christine, was standing at the entrance to the living room along with Noah and his sister, Hannah; they were all red-eyed from crying. Christine stepped forward and embraced Chris, “I’m so very sorry.”

Chris held on to her sensing she needed the hug just as much as he did. “Thank you,” he replied softly. 

As he pulled away, Christine tried to pull herself together and she hastily introduced Noah and Hannah. “Erik, do you want to take him up to get Henry?” As Chris began to follow Erik up the steps, Christine moved to embrace Josh. Chris could hear their sobs as he rounded the top step and walked down the hallway.

Erik cracked open the door to the guest bedroom and the light from the hallway illuminated Henry’s sleeping form on the bed. He was in the fetal position and wrapped up in a blanket; he looked peaceful even though Chris knew it had been a rough day for him. Chris entered the room and stood next to the bed, unsure of what to do.

“If you want to keep him wrapped up in that blanket to take him home, you can. It might be easier than trying to fight to put his coat on him,” Erik whispered over Chris’s shoulder. Chris nodded in understanding.

Chris bent over and picked up Henry who immediately put his head on Chris’s shoulder. Chris pulled Henry’s legs around him and Erik helped tuck the blanket around Henry’s body.

“You got him?” Erik asked, wanting to make sure there wasn’t an issue before they started walking.

“Yeah, I’ve got him,” Chris replied and began moving toward the hallway. When Chris got to the base of the steps, he turned and looked at Josh, “Would you care to drive? I’ll sit in the back with Henry, I don’t really want to put him down.”

“Um, yeah, no problem. Where are the keys?”

Chris gestured his head to the left, “Jacket pocket.” Josh reached into the pocket, careful not to disturb Henry, and retrieved the keys.

“Here are the keys to John and Darby’s house,” Erik offered, extending a key ring to Josh. Christine grabbed a set of keys from the end table in the living room and handed them to Erik. He gave her a questioning look and she gestured for him to go on. “These are the keys to Mallory’s house. John wasn’t sure if Henry would want to be at home and what you might want to do. He was afraid staying at her house might be too difficult, which is why he offered their house.” Erik gave a firm look at his wife.

“Thank you,” Josh said, accepting the keys from Erik’s hand. “We’ll talk about it and determine what’s best for Henry.” Chris opened the front door and walked out, he was having a hard time keeping it together. “Look, he’s having a really hard time with this right now. Please don’t think he’s rude, I’m waiting for him to break down.”

“I don’t think he’s rude at all,” Erik offered, placing his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “He’s got a lot to deal with and I’m sure this isn’t easy. Just call us if you need anything, okay?”

“Thanks, I appreciate it and I know he does too,” Josh gave each of them a warm hug and stepped outside to get into the car. He noticed that Chris had slid into the backseat and was still hold Henry. Josh started the car and then cleared his throat, “So, do you want to stay at John’s or take Henry home?”

Chris moved his head, resting it against Henry’s. “I’m not sure I can handle being in her house without her,” he began, “But I think it’s where Henry needs to be. He needs to be surrounded by his stuff and have a sense of home, even if that’s changed.”

Josh noticed as Chris was talking that a single tear was streaming down his cheek. The façade was beginning to crack. “I agree, let’s take him home.” Josh put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. “I’ll leave the car running and go up and unlock the house and turn on the lights before you get out. That way it isn’t so dark.”

Chris nodded and watched as Josh approached the front door. He noticed that Josh was having a hard time, his hand on the door and his shoulders were starting to shake. After a few minutes, Josh pushed open the front door and Chris watched as the lights came on throughout the house. The garage door opened and Josh stepped out and slid into the front seat, pulling the car forward.

Josh turned off the car and as he stepped out, he pulled open the back door so Chris could exit. “Thanks,” Chris offered as he stood up, all the while keeping Henry wrapped in his arms. “I’ll carry him up to bed and be back down in a few.”

“I’ll get the bags out of the car and meet you in the kitchen. You want some coffee?”

Chris nodded and entered the house, leaving Josh alone in the garage.

~ * ~

Chris walked up the stairs and noticed the door to Mallory’s room was closed. He wasn’t sure if Josh had done that or if John had done it when he came to the house earlier. Whoever had done it, he was thankful. As he had walked through the kitchen and up the stairs her scent was already overpowering. He could feel her in the house and he began to wonder if it was such a smart idea to come back here. 

Chris entered Henry’s room and noticed the bed was pulled back; Josh had definitely done this. Chris slowly lowered Henry to the bed and tucked him, then kissed his head. Henry’s eyes fluttered and Chris was afraid he would wake up. Instead, he repositioned himself and went right back to sleep.

Chris sat on the floor with his back against the dresser and just stared at his sleeping son. He wasn’t quite ready to walk out of the room. The thoughts were swirling in his head as to how he would explain everything to Henry and when. Chris remembered that Mallory wanted to wait until after Christmas, she wanted one more happy holiday before she had to worry about her son being mad at her. Now, she was gone, and Henry would be spending Christmas without her. It wasn’t lost on Chris that if Henry didn’t find out the truth about his father, he would spend the holiday thinking he was an orphan.

The tears started to fall and Chris wasn’t sure if he could stop them, even if he wanted to. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and clicked on his messages. He decided to send a quick text to John and let him know he was in town and had Henry.

Wanted you to know I’ve got Henry, we’re at Mallory’s and he’s still asleep. I’ll call you tomorrow. Thanks and give Darby my love.

Chris had the alerts off, he didn’t want to wake Henry when the response came back. It only took a few minutes for the phone to buzz in his hand, though. John sent a quick text back.

Glad you made it safe, talk to you tomorrow. We’re here for you and Henry, whatever you need.

Chris stayed seated on the floor, pulling himself together and watching Henry sleep. He always snickered when he heard new parents say they watched their kids sleep, but know he understood. He got up and kissed Henry’s head one more time, then slowly and quietly exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chris stepped off the last stair and rounded the corner towards the kitchen. As he entered the room, he noticed Josh was seated at the breakfast bar drinking a cup of coffee. Josh gestured to the pot on the far counter, “Grab a cup and come sit down. I wasn’t sure how long you’d be up there with Henry. Figured it’d be better to fix a pot versus the one cup brews.”

Chris lifted his chin, the universal sign for an acknowledgment, then retrieved a cup from the cabinet. Instead of joining Josh on the barstools, Chris decided to stand opposite of him, leaning against the counter. He took a sip of his coffee then cleared his throat, “Man, do you care if we talk about a few things and maybe clear the air?”

Josh immediately sat up and blew out a breath, “You know, I figured we’d have this conversation at one point. Should I prepare myself for you to take a swing at me?” Josh smiled as he said the words, trying to keep the mood light.

Chris let out a faint laugh, “You’re safe, I’ve got coffee tonight not beer. Plus, I’m pretty sure I got it all out of my system the last time,” Chris’s voice started to trail off and he took a deep breath before continuing. “You knew I was looking for her when she left, why didn’t you tell me you found her? I mean, I’ve let that question bounce around in my head for awhile and it’s always gnawed at me.”

Josh bowed and shook his head, he didn’t want to have this conversation. “Oh hell, Chris, my reasons made sense at the time but saying it now seems ridiculous.”

“Why don’t you try and let me be the judge of that,” Chris offered as he took a sip of his coffee and gave Josh a look that compelled him to speak.

“I called Mallory not long after Henry was born. I took a chance and got lucky because she never changed her cell phone number. She told me she never changed her number because she prayed her mom and dad would call and ask her to come home. She would stare at her phone and just will it to ring, but it never did. After Henry was born, she was positive they would want to see their grandson. When I called, she answered because she was lonely,” Josh took a sip from his mug, his coffee was getting cold and it didn’t even matter. “My heart broke when she said that, Chris. The vibrant Mallory we always knew was gone.”

Chris dropped his head, Josh’s words hit him hard. “I never tried calling her,” he whispered before turning his gaze back to his friend. “Honestly, the thought never crossed my mind. I mean I went to the house looking for her and her dad said they’d had a fight and she walked out. He said he had no idea where she was.” Chris sat his coffee mug on the counter, it hit harder than he had anticipated. The thud was loud enough that he worried he cracked the mug. When he didn’t see coffee spilling onto the counter, he felt as if he was safe in that regard. “I thought her dad’s reaction was odd, but it wasn’t like I could argue with the man. I called the house every day in the hopes that she had come home. Her parents finally told me to quit calling and move on, she wasn’t coming back.”

“And so you moved on,” Josh replied, he wasn’t cold or hateful, just matter of fact. “I remember you saying you missed her, wanted to know where she was and if she was safe. But at that time, I swear to you, I had no clue where she was. I didn’t know until months later after Henry was born, and even then it was an accident that I found out.”

“I guess I just don’t understand why you never told me you talked to her.” Chris was desperate for Josh to finally give him some answers. Since the truth had come out about Mallory and Henry, Chris had tried to reconcile why one of his best friends would keep something like this from him. Since they were clearing the air, he was not going to sugar coat his questions. He didn’t want to argue and wake up Henry, but he thought this might be his last opportunity to get the answers he needed. “It feels like you stabbed me in the back, Josh. You carried on a relationship with her for years when you knew I had feelings for her. You kept it secret and I’m trying to figure out why.”

Josh blew out another breath, he was not sure how this was going to go. This conversation could go very wrong, very quickly. While he had no plans to manipulate the truth, he also didn’t want to hurt Chris or cause an explosive argument. “I have no intention of fighting, Chris, but understand I’m going to be blunt.” Chris nodded his head in understanding. Josh took a deep breath and sat up straight, preparing himself for battle. “When her parents disowned her and kicked her out, Mallory was just shy of being three months pregnant. Which meant your ass had six months to call her and try to find her, but you didn’t. You called her parents but you didn’t call her cell phone. Tell me that part of you wasn’t relieved that the relationship that was moving so fast was finally over?”

Josh watched Chris for a reaction but didn’t get one. Chris stood stone-faced, staring at Josh and willing him to continue with his analysis of the situation and his reasoning for his actions. “Mallory even made that comment to me. She said that it was one of the reasons she readily believed her dad when he told her you wouldn’t want to know she was pregnant. She felt like the fact that your career was gaining traction she would be in the way and coupled with the fact you never called. Well, you can’t blame me for never telling you.”

Chris was watching him intently and Josh noticed the vein on the side of his neck beginning to display prominently. This meant Chris was getting quite upset, but Josh wasn’t about to just back down. Chris was known to keep some of his emotions inside until he just exploded, a trait his son had inherited. Maybe the push to the edge is what Chris needed to deal with the emotions of losing Mallory.

“Okay, fine, maybe you can blame me. When I first started talking to her, we never talked about you. Hell, she never spoke at all. Some nights I thought I was talking to dead air. I’d tell her how I was and where I was traveling to, which coincidentally meant I was traveling with you, but I never mentioned your name. Told her about my mom and dad, my life and tried to pry anything and everything I could about her and Henry. She finally started to open up and the first thing she said was to not tell you that we were talking. She said she didn’t hold a grudge against you, in fact, she still loved you, but she was positive you didn’t feel the same way. She was sure you didn’t think about her any longer and didn’t want me to bring up an unfavorable memory.”

“She wasn’t an unfavorable memory,” Chris said slamming his fist on the counter. The coffee mugs rattled and Josh couldn’t help but jump at the intensity in Chris’s voice and his actions. It was the first time Chris had shown such emotion during their conversation. While it took him off guard, Josh was glad to see that Chris had it in him and wasn’t just on auto-pilot. Josh noticed Chris’s voice beginning to crack as he spoke again, “I’m sorry, Josh, but I’ve never considered Mallory to be an unfavorable memory. You have to know that.”

“I know that, but her mind was made up. You didn’t call her, you didn’t reach out to her and, in her mind, that meant the two of you were over. She forced me to swear to never tell you anything about where she was or what she was doing. But she could not get enough information about you, she still loved you and wanted me to tell her everything about you. She followed your career so closely that I bet there’s a damn scrapbook around here somewhere,” Josh tried to keep his voice light, but he knew that the words were like knives for Chris.

Chris had a lump in his throat, he was finding it difficult to swallow or even breathe. The words that Josh was saying were echoing in his ears. “So, you ended up being more loyal to her than you were to me?”

“Fuck, maybe, but for all of your words, Chris, you weren’t ready to settle down and have a family,” Josh let the words come out before thinking and realized they might sound a bit harsh. He figured he should apologize for that, “Look, I’m sorry. Maybe I was more loyal to her, but it was because I was trying to insulate her. She knew if she came forward or you found out about her it wouldn’t be good. The media, your fans, hell even members of your family would consider her a gold digger or a pariah. They’d think she got pregnant on purpose and was coming after you for your money and to cash in on your success. She didn’t deserve that and you know it.”

“My family? Are you kidding me, Josh? What the hell?”

“Mallory was scared to death of your mom. She didn’t think Lisa liked her and she was sure Lisa would have hated the idea that she was pregnant. Mallory didn’t even want to think what your agent would say.”

“Mom liked Mallory, she always thought she was a sweet girl. I’m not sure what mom’s reaction would have been to the baby. I mean, I’d like to think she’d have been accepting, but I don’t know. I just wish she would have given me a chance, that’s all.” Chris raked his hand through his hair and then moved to pour out his cold coffee and get a fresh cup. As he took his place back at the breakfast bar, he gave Josh an intense stare and asked the question that had been bugging him the most, “Did you love her? I mean you told me that your relationship with Mallory was like your relationship with me, but be honest with me. Were you in love with Mallory?”

Josh sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the countertop. “I never intended on falling in love with her. I mean, she was in love with you and I knew that I never stood a chance,” Josh felt the stinging of tears in his eyes, “So, yeah, I ended up being head over heels for her. I just never made a move, I wasn’t about to risk my friendship with you or with her. But fuck, she was perfect.”

Chris watched as Josh talked reverently about Mallory. While tears streamed down his cheeks, there was a faint light in his eyes as he spoke about her. Chris could see that the feelings Josh had were still there, “Do you hate me, Josh?”

Josh wiped the tears from his face and had a shocked expression on his face, “What? No! Why in the world do you think that?”

“You said it yourself, I never called her. And we’re glossing over the fact that it’s my fault she was disowned by her parents. I mean, I got her pregnant, got her kicked out and she was left to raise Henry on her own.”

Josh sat forward, “Yeah, I was angry for a while. But she wasn’t innocent in this situation, she played a part in it so I couldn’t just blame you. I mean, I could for not calling her, but not for the pregnancy, she knew the consequences, Chris,” Josh looked away from Chris, not able to maintain eye contact the entire time. He focused on the side of his coffee mug and talked to it, “I didn’t tell you I found her because I was selfish. I’m not proud of it, but I had fallen for her and I knew if you showed up, you would sweep her off her feet and I’d be out of the picture. I made her a promise not to tell you and I kept it.” Josh finally looked back up meeting Chris’s gaze, “Did I ruin our friendship? Probably. Do I regret that? Yeah, I do. But I did what I felt I needed to at the moment.” 

Josh stood and walked over to the window looking out onto the backyard. He raked his hand through his hair and spoke to the yard, staring into the distance. “You’re one of my best friends, Chris and I’ve built a trust not only as a friend but as an associate and as a brother. I could betray you and keep her secret as she asked me to. Or, I could betray the trust I built with her and tell you. I was going to hurt one of you, no matter my decision,” Josh let his words trail off, not wanting to finish the stream of thought.

“I get it, I don’t like it but I get it,” Chris replied back to Josh. And he did understand, Josh was stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. There was not an easy way to get out of this, no matter how you looked at it.

“I’m sorry, Chris, really I am. I thought after awhile, you sort of forgot about her. You had your relationship with Jessica and then Minka, and as time went on, I didn’t think it mattered to bring up Mallory.” Once again Josh ran his fingers through his hair and then jammed his hands into his jeans pockets before stepping toward the breakfast bar. “As time passed, the motives for bringing her up would seem sketchy. So, yeah, I’m sorry for not telling you.”

“I guess it doesn’t do me any good to dwell on it. She’s gone and I’m not getting her back this time,” Chris swallowed hard to keep his emotions at bay. “I need to focus on Henry and how in the hell I’m going to drop the parent bombshell on him when he’s dealing with losing his mom. But Josh,” Chris waited for his friend to make eye contact with him, “Thank you for being there for her and for Henry. Thanks for being her friend and confidant and making sure they were okay all those years.”

Josh nodded and said “You’re welcome,” as another tear slid down his cheek.

~ * ~

Chris didn’t get any sleep; he had finally gone up to his bedroom a little after 2 am. He stared at the ceiling for at least an hour before he dozed off, but he was restless and woke up several times. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to get through this day.

He threw his legs over the side of the mattress and glanced at his phone, it was 6:30. He pulled on the pair of jeans from last night and a thermal henley that was in his suitcase. Chris wasn’t worried about style points this morning, just making sure his ass was covered when he went downstairs to get the day started. As he opened the bedroom door, Chris noticed Henry’s door was open. As he turned to walk down the hall he froze, Mallory’s bedroom door was open and Henry was sitting in the middle of her bed, clutching her pillow to his chest.

Chris slowly approached the door, not wanting to frighten Henry. He leaned against the door, remembering the last time he had done that with Mallory in the room. His mind flooded with the emotions of making love to her in this room and in that bed. He could feel his eyes starting to sting, but he wasn’t going to fight it if the tears started to fall. He wanted Henry to know it was okay to cry because his son was going to need reassurance that he could breakdown while going through this pain.

As if he could sense that he was being watched, Henry looked up to see Chris standing there. His eyes went wide, “Did you bring me home? I just remember being at Noah’s?”

Chris pushed away from the door frame and willed himself to cross the threshold into Mallory’s room. His pulse quickened, and he could feel a tightness in his chest. His steps were deliberate, he moved toward the chair at the far side of the room. He pulled it to the side of the bed and took a seat; he just wasn’t strong enough to sit on the mattress.

“John called and told me what happened, buddy. I hopped on a plane and rushed down here to be with you,” Chris reached out his hand for Henry’s. Instead, Henry moved from the bed and landed in Chris’s lap, throwing his arms around his neck and putting his head on his shoulder. “I decided to bring you home, I hope you don’t mind.”

Chris could hear Henry’s sobs and could feel his body shake. He rubbed his back and just held his son, trying to comfort him in any way he could. He had no idea if he was doing this right, but he just held on and let Henry have his moment. When the sobs began to slow down, Henry sat up, “I’m glad you’re here. It’s my fault she’s dead, if I weren’t fighting with her, she wouldn’t have been out and been distracted. I killed my mom, Chris.” The sobs started again and the tears began to flow down Henry’s face.

“Shhh! You didn’t kill your mom, Henry. She was in an accident, it had nothing to do with you,” Chris knew that wasn’t true, it had everything to do with Henry, but not like Henry was imagining. No, if anyone in this room killed Mallory it was Chris. If what he heard was true and she was returning from an appointment with her attorney, then she had the paperwork saying he was taking her to court. The documentation that said he wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines and he was playing for keeps. He wanted his boy in his life and wasn’t going to wait for her to come around. No, he sent Mallory onto that highway and put her in the path of that truck, but no way he was telling that to Henry.

“Henry, look at me,” Chris pushed Henry back and dipped his head so he could look at his son in the face. “I know this hurts, I loved her, too. But we’re going to be strong for one another, okay?” Henry gave him a nod, letting Chris know he understood what he was saying to him. “Josh came to Atlanta with me, I know you haven’t seen him in awhile, right? I’m not sure if he is up yet, but the two of us got you from Noah’s house last night.”

“How long are you guys staying?” Henry asked, his voice was raspy from crying.

“I don’t know about Josh, but I’m sticking around for the long haul.” Chris was sure Henry didn’t know what he was referring to, but that was okay. Chris would explain it to him soon enough, right now the focus was on getting through the arrangements and the funeral. He just sat in the chair and held Henry, consoling the boy as he went back and forth between body-wracking sobs and moments of stillness.

“I’m all alone, my mom is gone and I don’t have a dad. I can’t take care of myself,”

“You’re not alone,” Chris tightened his arms around Henry, wanting him to feel secure. “I promise, you have me and I’m not going anywhere.”

Henry sat up again, “Do I have to plan her funeral?” There was concern and fear as well as pain in his eyes as he asked the question.

Chris knew this was going to be a hard one to answer. Technically, Henry was going to have to make some decisions about Mallory’s funeral, but he wouldn’t have to do it all by himself. He was willing to help, as was Josh, and he was sure John and Darby would be involved. There was no way a twelve-year-old boy would be responsible for making all of the decisions to bury his mother.

“No, we’ll help you with all of that,” Chris lowered his head, so he was looking right into Henry’s eyes, “But know that you can make any decision you want and I will back you up. I want to make sure you know that your voice is heard, okay?”

Henry nodded solemnly and was preparing to say something back when they each heard a noise at the door. They turned to see Josh standing there, “Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I wanted to let you know I was heading downstairs. Thought I’d see what is in the fridge and make some breakfast. Are you two feeling up to eating?” Josh was nervous enough to speak with Chris after last night’s conversation, but now that Henry was awake, well it just added a new layer of complexity. He tried to keep it light in the hopes it wouldn’t be too awkward.

“Eating sounds like a great idea,” Chris said, trying to feign some enthusiasm. “C’mon Henry, I think we need to go downstairs and talk and start to move forward. I’m not saying we aren’t going to mourn your mom and cry about her being gone, I just don’t think we should sit in her room all day.”

Henry nodded and moved to get off Chris’s lap. As he moved toward the door, Josh sidestepped to let Henry pass, but he didn’t move away from the door completely. “You gonna be alright?” Josh asked, attempting to gauge how Chris had done with Henry, in Mallory’s room.

“I’ll be fine,” Chris said pushing past Josh and heading for the stairs. He glanced back over his shoulder, “This isn’t going to be easy. I’m not sure I’m completely up for it.”

“I got a text from John, he’s coming over in about half an hour,” Josh offered, “It might help to have him here.”

~ * ~

John knocked on the front door as the guys were in the midst of cleaning up their breakfast plates. Chris looked at his watched and realized John was later than originally expected. However, he wasn’t going to say anything about it, after all, John had more important thing to worry about at the moment. Chris made a mental note to make sure he inquired about Darby and if he could go and see her. Since she was in the car with Mallory, she would know what prompted the visit to the attorney. He needed to know just how angry Mallory was with him when she died, it was eating at him and he needed to know.

Henry took off running so he could answer the door. Chris followed closely behind, watching as John embraced Henry and they shared a moment. Finally, Chris cleared his throat, “Henry, let John get in the house. We can shut the door and you two can go into the living room.”

John looked up at Chris and smiled; Henry nodded and let go of John’s neck, stepping back so he could stand up and finish walking into the house. John shrugged out of his coat and Chris was quick to take it and hang it in the closet. Chris turned back and extended his hand to John, but he rebuked it and pulled Chris into a hug. No words were spoken between the two men, but the moment was powerful. John patted Chris on the back and then released him, stepping back and moving toward the living room where Henry and Chris quickly followed.

John took a seat in one of the wingback chairs and began rubbing the arms of the chairs, “You know, Mallory hated these chairs. When her aunt bought them, Mallory wanted to scream. She hated the design, she hated the pattern, and she hated the color. But I think in the last two years her opinion on them changed since she never threw them out.”

Henry started to laugh, “She usually read over on the couch, but if she had a fire in the fireplace, she’d pull one of these chairs over and sit in it all night and read.”

An awkward silence fell over the room, no one knew exactly what to say. Josh, entering the room by way of the kitchen, took care of that for the group. “John, how’s Darby doing?”

John turned, “Hey Josh, she’s holding on. She has some extensive injuries and is pretty banged up. She’ll have to go to a rehab facility following her release from the hospital, we just don’t know when that’ll be.”

“Can she have visitors?” Chris asked cautiously, “I’d like to stop in and see her.”

A faint smile crossed John’s lips, “I think she’d like that, Chris. She’s in ICU but can have visitors, we’ve kept the kids away only because we’re afraid the tubes and wires might scare them. But I think she’d like to see you.” John turned his attention back to Henry who was sitting quietly on the other wingback chair. “Henry, do you want to come and visit with Darby?”

“No,” he shook his head but couldn’t raise his eyes to meet with anyone. “I don’t think I’m ready.”

John reached over and put his hand on Henry’s leg, “That’s alright, I understand, there’s no rush for you to feel ready. You’ll know when it’s the right time, Darby knows that.”

“She’s not gonna die, too, is she?” Henry’s voice was faint and almost came out like a whisper.

“No, she’s not,” John choked out, “But it’ll be a while before she’s fully recovered.”

Josh had walked over and joined Chris on the couch. Both men looked at each other, the unspoken words conveyed they were thinking the same thing. This was way too much for this little guy to handle at the moment. Josh almost wanted to just scream out that Chris was Henry’s dad just so Henry had something new to focus on. Even though he knew that wouldn’t solve anything and would only bring on an entirely new set of issues. 

John sat back in his chair, folded his hands in his lap and took on a grim expression. He hated to bring up the funeral, but he had to. “Henry, I hate to ask you this, but I have to. Do you know if you want to bury your mom here in Atlanta or do you want to take her home to Boston?”

This question caused Josh and Chris to glance at one another again. This wasn’t even something the two of them had considered. Josh leaned over to Chris and whispered, “You know, if you’re taking Henry to Boston, maybe you should bury her there.”

“Fuck, I didn’t even consider that,” Chris quietly spit out.

Henry’s eyes went wide, “I don’t know, we never talked about it. I can’t make a decision right now,” panic was rising in his voice.

“Hey, buddy,” Chris said as he rose from the couch and moved to Henry’s side, “You don’t have to make the decision right this minute. John wants you to think about it and consider what your mom might have wanted and what you think is best.” Henry nodded slowly and then looked from Chris to John for reassurance. “John, when will they be ready to release her?” He didn’t want to finish the sentence as he knew that John understood. 

Since there was an accident reconstruction being done and pending criminal charges for the truck driver, Mallory’s body was being held a little longer than normal before being released to family. She had a full autopsy, as expected, and they were making sure to run toxicology reports on her as well as the truck driver. While she had a green light when she proceeded through the intersection and was held up due to traffic, the truck driver should have slowed down to the conditions. The eyewitnesses were being interviewed to see if the traffic was flowing properly in the first place for Mallory to have even attempted to move on through the green light or if she had stayed in place. It was a messy situation.

“Probably sometime tomorrow, I would imagine. Since I’m her estate attorney, I’ll be contacted when she is ready for release.” John looked over at Chris and Josh and could tell they had questions but were almost afraid to ask. He figured he would go ahead and set a few things straight for them, “Mallory had a Will, but she didn’t update it after her trip to Boston.” His comment was meant for Chris.

Josh took the opportunity to expand on it, deciding to ask a few questions that could get the answers Chris would want without giving away any secrets to Henry just yet. “So, in other words, some of the things that came to light in Boston, including the money from her parents isn’t accounted for in the document you have?” Josh turned his attention to Chris before looking back at John.

John caught on very quickly to what was being inferred but not spoken, “That’s correct. The documents from her parents covered some of the situations but not all. There will be some things that will need to be discussed, we can do that separately.”

Henry put his head in his hands and leaned forward, “I can’t do this, it’s all too much.” He began to rock back and forth slowly, Chris was fairly certain he was starting to cry softly.

Chris stood this time and walked over to Henry, crouching down in front of him. “Look at me,” he said softly as he pulled Henry’s hands away from his face. “Why don’t you go upstairs and I’ll come up to see you in a minute. Let me finish talking to John and then I’ll be right up, okay?”

When Henry had made it up the steps and was out of sight, Chris turned back to John. “So, her Will doesn’t mention me, is that what you were trying to say?”

John stood and faced Chris, “Yeah, Darby and I are listed as Henry’s legal guardians in the event of something happening to her. We’ve always known who you were, but we also knew that she wasn’t going to come forward to you because of the publicity and the fear you would think she was coming after you for money.” Chris let out a harsh laugh, he then turned to look at Josh who had no comment on the situation.

“Chris, when we came back from Boston she said she wanted to discuss changing the Will. We never got around to it, the two of you were fighting and you hadn’t told Henry the truth yet. She wanted to make sure you were in it for the long haul before she saddled you with him in the event of an emergency.”

“Yeah, well we see where waiting got her,” there was a tone of bitterness in his voice. It was the first time he had displayed that since news of the accident had broke. “Sorry, I think it’s the lack of sleep coupled with the stress and the pain. You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yeah, I know,” John offered as he placed his hand on Chris’s shoulder. “Look, Darby and I aren’t interested in a court battle with you. But you have to understand, the State of Georgia is going to go by her Will first and will take a parental challenge seriously. They’ll want a DNA test and a modified birth certificate before they’ll consider placing him with you. I can help expedite it, we have records that show she’s admitted you’re the father but just know, you’ve got a fight on your hands.”

Chris started to pace and was taking several deep breaths. “Josh, make sure Henry isn’t lurking at the top of the steps,” Chris barked out as he stopped pacing and turned around to face Josh and John. When Josh gave him the all clear, Chris blew out a breath and began to speak, “I have a DNA test. I’ve got the proof that shows I’m Henry’s father.”

John was shocked at Chris’s admission, “What? When and how did you get it done?”

“I took a sample back with me when I left Atlanta a few weeks ago. I paid a private lab to expedite the test and got the results. I have an attorney who filed the petition to have me added to the birth certificate. Matter of fact, I’m pretty sure that my petition is what sent her to her attorney on the day of the accident.” Chris ran his fingers through his hair and then threw himself into one of Mallory’s beloved wingback chairs, “I’m pretty sure I’m the reason she’s dead.”


	12. Chapter 12

Chris’s declaration that he felt he was responsible for Mallory’s death had virtually sucked all of the oxygen out of the room. It was something that Josh and John had not expected to hear and they certainly had no idea how to respond to such a declaration. The two men exchanged glances while they tried to digest what was happening around them. The one thing that John could almost guarantee was that Chris was no more responsible for the accident than Henry was. Each of them were carrying a guilt that neither of them deserved. 

As the moments ticked by, Chris stared at each man and willed them to speak. In fact, their silence was driving him insane. “Are either of you going to say something or are you just going to stare at me?” The words came out as if he was barking at the men. He didn’t care, he needed to talk about this and they weren’t giving him anything to work with. “For fuck’s sake will you say something? Tell me I’m crazy or tell me I’m wrong, but fucking say something!”

John took a seat, crossing one leg and resting his ankle on his knee. He was trying to look relaxed even though his brain was cycling through all of the things he should say. Counseling was Darby’s area, hopefully he picked up a few things over the years to get through this conversation. “You know, I think I need to wrap my head around this. You’re saying you took samples of DNA and got a test done without Mallory’s knowledge? And that somehow leads you to think that it is your fault she was in a multi-car accident that resulted in her death?” 

Chris blew out an exasperated breath, the sarcasm and tone of John’s question did not go unnoticed. “I took a hair sample and Henry’s toothbrush back to Boston and gave it to a lab for the testing. My attorney arranged it and we paid to have them expedite the results. They came in a few days before the accident and I filed a petition to get my name added to Henry’s birth certificate as his father.” Chris leaned forward in the chair, resting his elbows on his thighs and dropping his head. “Mallory kept putting off telling Henry the truth. I was tired of waiting and wanted us to be a family, so I made the first move. She said she would tell him after Christmas, but I didn’t want to wait that long to get the ball rolling. In fact, I didn’t want to wait that long at all, but she was positive that, if we told him, I would take him away from her and she swore she wanted one last Christmas with him.”

Chris raised his head looking at John and trying to convey his feelings without shedding the tears that wanted to fall. “I wanted to prove to her that I was in all in on this. I figured I would make her tell him, one way or the other. So, I filed the petition and had every intention of taking her to court for custody rights.”

Josh huffed. “If she wasn’t going to play your way, you were going to play dirty, is that it?”

“Don’t get righteous, Josh. I gave her every opportunity to make this work for us, I needed to this work for us, but she kept pushing me away. I didn’t know what else to do, I wasn’t going to walk away from my son.”

“Hell, I’m surprised you didn’t just tell Henry yourself and get it over with.”

“I would have, but my attorney told me not to,” Chris admitted quietly.

John sat his leg down and leaned forward. “Chris, when exactly did your attorney file the petition? Because if it was just in the last few days, there’s no way this petition has gone through already, you realize that, right?”

“Yeah, I mean, I know that, but my attorney was going to send something to Mallory to let her know what we were doing. Or at least, I thought she was going to do that. Why else would she have been going to see her attorney?”

“I think you need to hold off on the blame and the guilt until you talk to Darby,” Josh chimed in, wanting to stop the conversation from spiraling out of control.

“He’s right,” John agreed, “There could be some other explanation, because there is no way the Georgia courts moved fast enough to get the birth certificate changed already.” John ran his hand across the back of his neck as he tried to figure out the best way to ask about the elephant in the room. “When exactly will you tell Henry the truth?”

“It’s funny, I was so ready to tell him, I mean, I couldn’t wait to do it when she was alive and now that she’s gone.” Chris had to choke back the lump that had formed in his throat. He took several deep breaths to keep the emotions at bay. “I feel like I’m betraying her if I rush to tell him. How ridiculous is that?” 

John and Josh nodded as if they understood what Chris was saying. They wanted to be equal parts sympathetic and supportive. But both men knew that Chris could not avoid the inevitable, the sooner he told Henry the truth the better. They just weren’t sure how to convince him of that without sounding judgmental and harsh.

“It’s not ridiculous,” John ventured to say, “But I think telling him before the funeral is your best bet. I mean, he needs to know he isn’t alone when he goes through the grieving process. We can all say we’re here for him, but for him to know he has a dad to turn to. Let’s just say that will be huge.”

Chris gave John a weak smile and then pushed himself out of the chair. He took several steps toward the stairs before turning to face both men. “I think I’ll just go and get it over with while you are both here. I mean, in case he needs to have a friendly face around.” Both men nodded and gave Chris reassuring smiles. “Josh, just do me a favor if you don’t mind. If my family calls you, don’t tell them what I’m doing. I’m turning off my cell and you know, if I don’t answer when they call, they’ll call you to see if I’m alive.”

Josh let out a laugh. “Sure thing, man.”

Chris took the time as he walked up the stairs to practice what he would say when talking to Henry. The problem was, he had no idea how to even begin this type of conversation. He had a few options, but neither one of them was entirely favorable. His first option would be to just announce it. In other words, go fast, like ripping off a band-aid. It would be traumatic and sting a little, but he would get it over with quick and could then spend time to deal with the aftermath.

His other option was to drag out the process, try to explain everything to Henry by giving the proper amount of background and making sure he didn’t say anything to tarnish Henry’s memory of his mother. The band-aid approach gave him the risk to make Mallory look bad, not to mention the fact it wouldn’t do him any favors either. No, the band-aid approach was off the table; he wanted to stay clear of that minefield. The slow approach would probably hurt more, but it would be the best way to go.

As he stood at Henry’s door, Chris took a deep breath and then knocked softly, waiting for an invitation to enter before opening the door. When Henry told him to come in, Chris slowly turned the knob and steeled his nerves. He found Henry sitting in the middle of his bed, staring out the large window across the neighborhood landscape. Henry did not even turn his head to see Chris enter the room.

Chris stood in the doorway and watched Henry for a few minutes before he moved to pull the desk chair over to the side of the bed. As he sat down, he gazed out the window to see if he might be able to figure out what was capturing his son’s attention. It didn’t take him long to realize that all Henry could see were rooftops and the clouds in the sky. His son was just watching the world pass by and it made his heart ache even more.

“Hey, Henry, I’m really sorry to interrupt your thinking time, but I need to talk to you about a few things and they’re real important.” As his words trailed off, Henry moved his head and made eye contact with Chris. While Chris considered the father/son resemblance to be uncanny, all he could see right now was Mallory reflected in Henry’s eyes. It took him by surprise, haunting him and giving him pause. “This isn’t easy for me to talk about and I’m sure it won’t be easy for you to hear. I just need you to promise to listen, okay?”

Henry was confused, but slowly nodded his head, agreeing to listen to what Chris had to say. Henry scooted toward the edge of the bed, never taking his eyes off Chris. The intense gaze made Chris get choked up, he quickly cleared his throat and leaned forward so he was closer to his son.

“I know that you know your mom and I were having some disagreements when I was here a few weeks ago.” Henry nodded in agreement. “I wanted her to do something, but she kept telling me no and I was upset by that, so we kept arguing about it because I wanted her to change her mind.”

“Was it because she wouldn’t marry you?” Henry’s question was innocent enough but it struck a nerve. Chris shook his head and Henry hit him with another question, “Then what was making you fight?”

Chris ran both of his hands through his hair, keeping his hands on the top of his head as he sat back in the chair letting out a forceful breath. “I didn’t think it would be this hard, I really didn’t think it would.” Chris lowered his hands, slapping the top of his thighs and then stood up and turned to walk away from the side of the bed. “I need to be careful, I don’t want to say this and have you get mad at your mom. That’s not what I want, Henry, you have to believe me, I don’t want you to be mad at her.”

Henry nodded and got a nervous look on his face; he wondered what Chris was planning on telling him that could get him upset. As Chris noticed the fear in Henry’s eyes, it only made it harder for him to move forward and say what he needed to say. “When I saw your mom in Boston, after your grandparents died, I found out something I never knew. She kept something from me for many years and I wanted her to be honest about it to you, but she kept putting it off.” 

Chris shoved his hands down in his jeans and pulled his shoulders back, trying to straighten is posture. He took a deep breath and made eye contact with Henry. “I’m your dad, Henry.”

As the words came out of his mouth, all of the color drained from Henry’s face. Chris was scared that his son would vomit so he rushed to put a trash can next to the bed as a precaution. Chris then sat back down in the chair and reached for Henry’s hand.

“I know this is a shock, believe me, I get it. I’d been arguing with your mom about telling you. When I found out, I was so excited to know I had a son; I wanted to get to know you and introduce you to the rest of your family. I wanted to take you on the family trip to Disney and start making up for all the time I’ve missed because I didn’t know about you.”

Henry yanked his hand back from Chris, “You’re not my dad! Mom told me my dad had gone away and wouldn’t be able to come back to me. She didn’t want to talk about it because it was too painful. The loss of him hurt too much, she said.”

Chris hung his head, Mallory had detailed what she had told Henry about him, but hearing these words cut like a knife. It was going to be harder than he imagined to get Henry to be accepting of the circumstances. 

“It’s the truth, Henry, I’m your dad. Your mom and I broke up and she never told me she was having a baby; never told me I was going to be a dad. I didn’t know she had a son, that I had a son, until I saw her in Boston a few months ago,” Chris was pleading for his son to believe him, but Henry was scooting off the bed in the opposite direction, trying to get away from Chris. “I promise that I’m telling you the truth, I needed to tell you now because I didn’t want you to think you were going through all of this alone. I wanted you to know you had me to lean on.”

“You’re lying to me!” Henry screamed before jumping off the bed and running out of his room. Chris heard Henry’s thundering footsteps on the stairs as he ran toward Josh and John, but Chris didn’t move. Instead, he put his head in his hands and let go of the emotions he’d been holding in. He’d tried so hard to get through this conversation delicately but in the end, he had messed it up and made things worse.

Chris figured Henry needed to work through this on his own, so he gave him some space and decided not to venture downstairs just yet. Everything within him said that the right thing to do was to follow Henry downstairs and make sure he was okay. However, this situation was unique, to say the least. Giving Henry the opportunity to have the friendly faces of Josh and John waiting for him might help him come to terms with this. They knew the truth, they could help him understand what was going on. Chris knew he shouldn’t be leaving Josh and John to clean up his mess, it wasn’t fair, but right now it was the only thing he could think of that might help Henry.

Chris’s heart ached for Henry. He hated that he had to tell his son that his mother had been keeping a very big secret from him for his whole life. He stood and turned the wooden chair back around to slide it under the desk. He figured it was time to face the music and head downstairs. But as he took his strides toward the door it opened and John walked in with Henry trailing behind him. Henry’s eyes were downcast as he walked into the room and moved to the other side of the room, placing as much distance as possible between him and Chris.

Henry walked to the opposite side of the room from where Chris was standing. His posture told the story – he was not comfortable but at least he wasn’t overly irate. Henry did brace himself against the wall, looking as if he wished the wall would just absorb him into it, but his eyes never left Chris. John, on the other hand, kept equal distance between father and son with his back planted firmly against the closed bedroom door. John wanted to preside over the both of them and yet easily defuse the situation should it escalate.

The room was quiet for what felt like an eternity. Chris finally built up the courage to speak. Looking directly at Henry he said, “Buddy, I’m sorry, I know everything came out. I had wanted it to be different and I certainly didn’t mean to upset you.”

John decided he should step forward and at least fill Chris in on what had been discussed downstairs. “Chris, I explained to Henry that you were telling him the truth. You wanted to let him know so he knew he had family that was here for him and he wasn’t all alone.”

“My mom lied to me,” Henry said quietly as his body slip down the wall, his butt coming to rest on the floor. He looked up at Chris, his eyes red-rimmed and full of tears, “Why did she do that to me?” For the first time since Chris had given him the news, Chris saw the tears fall down Henry’s cheeks.

Chris immediately moved to take a seat on the floor next to Henry. He wrapped his arm around his son’s shoulder and pulled him into his side. “She did what she thought was best for you at the time. Your mom had no idea if she would ever see me again and wasn’t sure how I would react to the news about being a dad. She was trying to protect and shelter you because you meant so much to her. You were her whole world, Henry, she loved you so much.”

“Why were you fighting about me? If she loved me, why wouldn’t she let me have a dad?” Henry’s tears were flowing faster and Chris’s heart broke even more.

Chris didn’t want to answer his son’s question. He knew that diving into the details of what was going on with Mallory could make things worse and could turn Henry against his mother even more. But, he also knew that he couldn’t lie to him. Mallory had done enough lying and he was seeing now how that hurt Henry and he didn’t want to cause that type of pain. No matter what, he had to be honest. “We fought because she thought if you found out about me you would hate her and never speak to her again. That you would run to me and want me to take you away from her. She was scared.” Henry pulled away from Chris and just stared at him. Chris didn’t know what the look was for; did Henry agree with his mom’s concern or did he think she was crazy? He didn’t know and he was not sure he wanted to ask and get the answer right now. “For the record, I had no intention of taking you away from her. I told her I thought you would be mad for a little bit, but you would forgive her. I wanted us to be a family, I wanted to marry your mom and for us to live together and have more kids. I wanted all of that.”

“I would have liked that,” Henry said as he rested his head back against Chris and continued to cry. 

Chris looked over toward the door and realized that at some point during his exchange with Henry, John had left the room. 

~ * ~

Chris had no idea how long he had sat on the floor with Henry. All he did know was that his ass and his son were both asleep. Henry had cried himself to sleep, the tears had kept coming and Chris just let him cry. Once he stopped and drifted to sleep, Chris decided not move him right away because he wanted to just take in the moment of having Henry in his arms. That might seem odd to some folks, but he had never had these types of nurturing moments, in the past, and this was a turning point in his relationship with Henry. There wouldn’t be very many of these opportunities, in the future, so when they presented themselves, Chris felt it best to take advantage of them. 

He finally decided to pick Henry up and transfer him over to the bed. He pulled a blanket up over him and brushed the hair off of Henry’s forehead before giving him a soft kiss. Chris slowly backed out of the room and pulled the door shut, electing not to close it completely because he didn’t want the click of the door to inadvertently wake Henry. 

As Chris walked down the stairs, he looked over to the living room and noticed that Josh was sitting there alone. “Did John leave?” He asked as he stopped and leaned against the living room entry way.

Josh looked up from the magazine he was reading to catch Chris’s gaze, “Yeah, he said he wanted to get over to the hospital to see Darby.” Josh took in Chris’s body language and facial expression then asked, “How’s Henry doing? Did you get him calmed down?” 

Chris walked into the room and took a seat on the couch. He rubbed his hands over his face, “Yeah, he actually cried himself to sleep. It was brutal, Josh, it was so much harder to get through than I had expected it would be. I felt like I was betraying Mallory and that hurt like hell.”

“You know he didn’t believe you when you told him. He came running down the stairs saying you were a liar and he hated you,” Josh offered solemnly. “John and I told him that you were telling the truth. It took a little convincing on our parts because he didn’t want to believe us either.”

Chris leaned forward, dropping and shaking his head, “I can’t believe he hates me. I never thought I would have a kid who would hate me.”

“To be fair,” Josh started, “He’s confused and he’s lashing out at you. I don’t think he really hates you or Mallory, but he just doesn’t understand everything. Keep in mind, his mom just died and now he’s being told he has a dad. Dude, it’s a lot to take in. If he hated you, Chris, he wouldn’t have stayed with you upstairs and John wouldn’t have been able to sneak out without the two of you knowing it.” Chris turned to look at Josh and gave him a faint smile, something he hadn’t been able to really do in the last few days. “You just need to keep convincing him that you love him, Chris. And you need to make sure he knows that Mallory loved him, too. Don’t make her out to be the bad guy in any of this.”

“I have no intention of doing that.” Chris stood up and started to walk toward the kitchen. “I need a drink, you want one?” Josh shook his head. “I did love her, you know. I think that’s why I’m so fucking mad at her right now. I wanted to be that boy’s dad more than anything, but not like this, Josh, not without her.” Chris turned and continued toward the kitchen.

~ * ~

When Chris came back from the kitchen with his drink, Josh had decided that he would burn off some energy by going for a run. Henry was still asleep so Chris figured he would call his mom. He had not talked to her since they had arrived in Atlanta and he had gone to pick up Henry at Noah’s house. It was as good a time as any for him to let her know that he had dropped the daddy bombshell. 

Chris dialed his mom’s number and she picked up the call immediately. “Hey, I was just thinking of you! I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to call and tell me how things are going. So, how are things with Henry?”

“Well, they are interesting to say the least, Ma. Look, I was hoping you might be able to come over to the house today to meet your grandson.” Chris thought that if Lisa came over it could help Henry start to realize he had an extended family who cared about him and will be in his life going forward. “It’d be too overwhelming for him to meet everyone, but I think he could handle Grandma and maybe Grandpa, if you want to see if dad wants to join you.”

Lisa tried to reign in her excitement. “Oh, Christopher, you know I want to meet that boy. Let me get a pen and paper so you can give me the address and directions.” Lisa began to reach for the paper and pen on the hotel desk so she could get the details written down. “I know I shouldn’t push, but have you made any funeral decisions yet?”

Chris let out a sigh. “No, not yet. Mallory’s body hasn’t been released yet and Henry is still struggling with everything.” Chris took a deep breath and then surprised himself with what he said next. “Ma, why don’t you tell Scott and Shanna to go to Disney with Carly and the kids? I mean, I don’t want to ruin the vacation for the kids and, realistically, they didn’t know Mallory. I’m not trying to be rude about this, I swear. I have no idea when we will wrap this up and we’re close to Christmas. I just don’t want to ruin anything for the kids. I know they would all be here for me and I appreciate that, but honestly, I think I need the space.”

“I can talk to them, see if they’ll be okay with it. Are you sure?” Lisa inquired, not sure that she was totally understanding her son’s rationale.

“Yeah, I’m sure. The kids have been looking forward to this trip, let them go and have fun. I’ll see you when you get here.”

Chris hung up the phone and, as he prepared to look for something to keep himself busy, he heard footsteps. He turned to see Henry coming downstairs, rubbing his eyes to clear the sleep out of them. Chris smiled as he noticed Henry’s hair sticking up, a product of his nap. These were the kind of things he took pleasure in seeing and wished he could have more memories of.

“Hey, buddy, do you feel better after your nap?” Chris asked somewhat hesitantly.

Henry didn’t answer. Instead, he nodded his head as he moved into the living room and took up residence in one of the wingback chairs. He stared at Chris and after a minute, he finally spoke up, “My mom really didn’t tell you about me? Was she ashamed of me?”

Suddenly Chris felt like he has been punched in the gut. He immediately made his way to Henry’s side, crouching next to him and looking the boy in the eyes. “Your mom was not ashamed of you at all, do you hear me? She loved you very much and wanted nothing but the best for you.” Henry looked away and Chris reached up, pulling Henry’s face back toward him. “Look at me, Henry. Your mom and I broke up and her mom and dad told her that I wouldn’t want you. They were wrong, but your mom believed them.”

Henry was so lost, his world had been completely turned upside down and everything he had known to be true was now a lie. He wanted to trust Chris, but it meant that he would have to believe that his mom knew all along that his father was out there and she kept it from him. He was mad at her for keeping that big of a secret, especially when he had told her that he wanted Chris to be his dad. 

“Why didn’t mom just tell you later? You were in movies so she knew where you were.”

Chris lowered himself so he was sitting completely on the floor, his knees couldn’t take the crouching position any longer. “I asked her that and she told me it was because she didn’t want me to think she was coming after me for money. She thought I wouldn’t believe that you were my son and I would just think bad things about her.”

“Are you mad at her now?”

Chris took a deep breath and tried to figure out how he was going to explain this one. “I’ll be honest, I’m a little mad at her, but more than anything I miss her.” Chris quickly wiped a tear from his eye. “I was really angry that she kept me away from you for so long and never gave me a chance to be a dad to you when you were little. I was mad because she kept putting off when we could tell you that I was your dad so I could spend time with you now and when I could introduce you to the rest of your family.” Chris took a deep breath and tried to gauge the emotion in Henry’s face as he prepared to continue. Henry’s eyes were filled with unshed tears and Chris could tell he was trying very hard not to cry. He admired how tough Henry was trying to be, but he wanted his son to know it was okay to let out his emotions as well. “But more than anything, I’m angry that she’s gone and I didn’t get to say goodbye. Angry that we were still fighting and that I didn’t tell her one last time I loved her.”

As he said the words, Chris let his tears fall, letting his son see that he was just as broken hearted as he was. Giving Henry the permission to mourn and cry and know that tears didn’t make a man weak. Chris lowered his head and was wiping at his tears when he felt Henry’s arms wrap around his neck and his son’s head rest on his shoulder.

“I wish I wouldn’t have been fighting with her,” Henry said softly, “But I think mom knew we both loved her. She was smart and she always seemed to know those things.” Chris had to smile hearing those words, realizing that Henry was trying to find his own way to reconcile his emotions. “Did you know I told mom I wanted you to be my dad?”

Those words surprised Chris, he pulled back from Henry and looked him in the eyes. “You did? When did you tell her that?”

“When you left to go back to Boston, I got mad at her and said she ruined my chance for finally having a dad. I was mad that you were gone and I wanted her to make you come back.” Henry dropped his gaze from Chris, he was slightly embarrassed for admitting this information to him. 

“That means a lot to me, Henry. Since the day I found out about you, I wanted to be your dad and I have loved every minute we’ve spent together.”

For the first time since he had received the news about his mother, Henry had an actual smile on his face. Once again he put his arms around Chris, hugging him tight. “I’m glad you’re my dad and that I already know you.”

Chris could feel his heart swell. He said nothing, just squeezed Henry tighter. As the two of them were having their moment, the front door of the house opened and Josh entered with Lisa falling in step behind him. When they noticed the moment between Chris and Henry, their random chatter quieted and they took in the scene in front of them.

Chris could sense them behind him, he pulled away and without looking back said. “I have a feeling you are about to meet the first member of your extended family, Henry. Are you ready for this?” Henry slowly nodded his head and Chris moved to get up from his seated position on the floor. He took a few steps forward and motioned for Henry to join him.

As Chris and Henry took steps towards Lisa, she took a few steps towards them. Within a moment, they were standing face-to-face with one another, Lisa was smiling and practically vibrating with excitement. Chris stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. “Thanks for being here, Ma.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she offered and gently patted her eldest son on his back. She stepped back and looked over at Henry and then back at Chris. “So, are you going to do the formal introductions or are you going to leave it up to me?”

Chris let out a laugh. “Ma, this is my son, Christopher Henry Turner, but he goes by Henry.” Chris moved to stand behind Henry, placing his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Henry, this is my mom which means she is your grandmother.”

Lisa crouched down to face Henry. “My name is Lisa, but you can call me Grandma or Mimi. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Henry.” She looked up at Chris and saw he was beaming with pride. “You look just like your dad did when he was your age.”

Henry’s eyes went wide. “I do?”

“You most certainly do,” Lisa countered, excited to see that Henry was able to think of something other than heartbreak and pain for a few minutes. “You have a Grandpa, two aunts, two uncles and some cousins who are all really excited to meet you.”

“Ma, I’m gonna go to the hospital and visit with Darby, can you stay with Henry for a bit?”

“I’d love to if Henry doesn’t mind?” She looked at Henry and he was giving his approval of the idea. “Are you sure going to see her is a good idea right now? Is she up for visitors?”

“John told me earlier I could drop by. I need to talk to her, I need to get a few questions answered.”

~ * ~

Chris drove to the hospital, all the while trying to determine what he would say to Darby. He knew that he would have to apologize to her for what had transpired, figuring Darby blamed him for her own injuries and, of course, her best friend’s death. There would be no words that could make any of this better. No words that would be able to ease pain or even fix injuries. Chris had to hope that he could find a way to build some sort of bridge so that Henry could remain in their lives. Henry looked at Darby and John as family and that had to remain intact, no matter what. 

Chris pulled the car into a parking spot and started his slow walk into the hospital. Every step was measured and brought its own case of dread. He entered the elevator, pushing the button to take him to the fifth floor and tried to control his breathing as he waited for the doors to open.


	13. Chapter 13

The elevator doors opened and Chris slowly stepped into the corridor on the fifth floor. He read the signs directing him to Intensive Care. He started walking slowly down the hall. He knew this discussion would hurt like hell, but would at least start to heal his wounds. He just wasn’t in a hurry to get to the ICU to get the conversation started. He needed to find some way to move on and keep this from hanging over him for the rest of his life. He needed answers as to what happened on the day of the accident and why Mallory had gone to her attorney’s office. He needed Darby to fill in the blanks and tell him how angry Mallory had been with him that day. Chris knew there would be a burden for him to carry and that he would have to tell his son the truth at some point. There lied the problem; he wasn’t sure what that truth was right now. Henry already had questions about the accident and believed he was at fault for his mom’s death. Chris wanted to at least be able to give Henry the peace of mind that he wasn’t to blame, even if that meant that Chris had to live with the guilt that he was. 

Chris wasn’t sure how long he had been wandering the halls, but when he looked up he was standing in front of the doors for the ICU. To the right of the doors, sat a duty nurse behind a large information desk. It took him a minute to realize she was talking to him.

“Um, sorry, yeah I’m here to see Darby. I’ve suddenly gone blank and can’t remember her last name,” Chris said as he took a step away from the doors and toward the duty nurse.

The nurse, a woman in her late fifties with a kind smile looked back at him. “I understand, happens all the time. It’s traumatic when you have to come up and visit people here. I’ll look up her information while you sign in. You’re going to need to wear this visitor badge while you’re back in the room and you’ll need to sign out when you leave.” Chris nodded and picked up the pen to begin signing into the open binder that sat on the desktop. He gingerly took the badge she offered to him. “I’ll open the doors for you and she’s in the third room on your right. She’s not in a restrictive room which means there’s no time limit for your visit.” The nurse gave him a warm smile and then pushed the button on her desk to activate the doors. 

Chris heard the doors click and then a swoosh as the hydraulics engaged and the doors began to open automatically. He made sure he stayed far enough back so the swinging doors did not hit him as they opened. He took a deep breath and then began to walk through the doors and toward the third room that the nurse indicated Darby would be in. 

The doors to the intensive care rooms were glass sliding doors, but had curtains that could be positioned for privacy. The first two rooms had the curtains completely closed and there were restricted signs on the closed doors. But the third door had the glass doors partially opened and the curtain only partially drawn. As Chris approached the door, John jumped from Darby’s side and met him at the door. 

John stepped out into the hall and lowered his voice. “I told Darby you were going to stop by today so she’s been fighting to stay awake so she can see you.” Chris looked nervously into the room. John figured he should hurry to set Chris at ease. “It’s okay, she’s having a good day, I probably shouldn’t have phrased it like I did. Look, Chris, I need to just warn you before you go in that she’s going to look different. She took a hell of beating in the accident and her face is swollen, I just didn’t want you to be shocked when you see her.”

Chris nodded, letting John know he understood. However, John’s warning was not enough for what Chris encountered when he walked into the room. Darby’s face was, in fact, swollen and bruised heavily. If he had not been told it was Darby, he would never have recognized her. He was fairly certain she had multiple broken bones in her face, but was not about to ask. This was where his skills as an actor came in handy. He plastered on a smile, tamped down his apprehension and spoke as he walked to the side of the hospital bed. “Hey beautiful, hope I didn’t keep you waiting long? John said you were staying awake for me to come visit.”

Darby’s eyes widened as she looked at Chris and tried to smile. For him, it was painful to see her and not think of what Mallory went through in the accident. If Darby was this beat up and she was the passenger, it was agony to think of the impact Mallory’s body had taken. Those were not images he wanted in his head, but he couldn’t help it. 

Darby reached for Chris’s hand and he took hers. He then leaned down and kissed her forehead, wanting to be careful not to hurt her or kiss in a particularly swollen area. “I was waiting for you and I’m glad you’re here,” Darby’s voice was raw and barely above a whisper. “I need to tell you a few things and I know you need to hear them.”

John and Chris exchanged glances as Chris let go of Darby’s hand and reached for a chair to pull to her bedside. He sat down and instinctively wanted to begin speaking as he once again took her hand. But before he could get any words out, Darby stopped him. “Don’t say anything, Chris, let me get this out.” Her eyes were pleading with him and he slowly nodded in agreement to let her go on. 

Even though she wanted to speak, Darby was struggling to do so. It was true that she wanted to see him and wanted to set a few things straight with him. However, now that he was sitting in front of her, the notion scared her more than she wanted to admit. Chris had a right to know what had happened before the accident, after all, he had an envelope waiting for him in Boston with the details. But by her taking the time to tell him now, it would give him time to come to terms with it all. It would give him a chance to grieve with Henry and not have it slam into him when he got home. If Darby was honest with herself, she had to do this for Henry as well. That young man had been struggling in his relationship with his mother over the last few days and Darby knew it was eating at him. Guilt was most likely a heavy weight on his shoulders just like it was on Chris’s.

Darby tried to pull herself up on the bed, she wanted to sit up when she talked to Chris. John and Chris both moved to help her and she waved them off. “I need to do this on my own, but thank you,” she said as she struggled to get into position. “Look, Chris, you know that John and I are Henry’s legal guardians, right?”

Chris said nothing in response but nodded his head. He hated the idea that Mallory had never given him any consideration, even in death, to make him the father of his own son. It felt like a hard slap to the face and would sting if his heart wasn’t already aching so much with her being gone.

“We aren’t in favor of a custody battle. We both know you’re Henry’s father and he should be with you. Mallory was working on changing things to make sure you weren’t kept out of his life any longer.” Darby’s voice was getting stronger the longer she talked. 

John stepped forward and interrupted his wife. “Wait a minute, what do you mean she was working on changing things?” It wasn’t that John was necessarily mad, but he was Mallory’s attorney and he figured he should have at least been made aware. Instead, he was being blindsided and he was more than a little confused.

“Shhh, let me finish talking to Chris and it’ll make sense,” Darby bit back at John. Her fire and intensity were starting to come back, although it was more of a flicker than a full out flame. “I had gone with Mallory to visit the family attorney that John had told her about several months ago. Evidently, this last argument with Chris had really gotten to her and she wanted to try and fix a few things.”

John couldn’t help but speak up again, “Fix what things, Darby?”

Chris was thankful he was sitting down because his head was beginning to spin. He wasn’t sure that Darby was making complete sense. He wished John would shut up and let Darby finish, he needed to hear the rest of the story. “Please, Darby, finish the story,” he begged.

“Mallory gave the attorney the details of how she came to be a single mother and how Henry’s father was never aware of her pregnancy. She didn’t put him on the birth certificate because she didn’t want there to be issues with his career. However, after all these years, it was important for Henry to know he has a father and for that man to be a part of his son’s life. She wanted to fix things and add your name to the paperwork and make it legal. The official notice of her intentions should be at your house in Boston right now.”

Chris sat back in the chair and stared at Darby, unable to speak. He wasn’t sure he was hearing Darby accurately, because, after the fight he had with Mallory, this did not seem like the step she would have taken. Chris had no idea he was shaking until John walked over and put his hand on his shoulder to offer him some comfort.

“Darby, are you sure? I mean was she really doing that?” Chris’s voice came out shaky and his lips were quivering like he was going to cry. He was doing his darndest to hold back the emotions, there were so many coursing through his mind at the moment.

“I’m sure because I was in the room with her when she talked to the attorney. She said that she had regrets and she wanted to fix things. She wanted Henry to have a father and she wanted you in his life, make no mistake about that.” Darby’s words were strong and she got the point across. She had to take a moment to compose herself, though, because her emotions were starting to take over and she didn’t want them to keep her from finishing. Especially when it came to discussing the accident.

“When we started to drive home, Mallory was still pretty emotional over everything. I thought we should talk and let her get out her feelings so we stopped to get coffee. At the time, I thought it was a good idea, but the traffic was getting heavy when we left. I think there was an accident or construction, I don’t know, something that made everything back up.”

John moved from standing behind Chris to the other side of Darby’s bed. He knew that she had answered questions for the police, but she would not talk about the accident with him. He figured it was because she would break down and wouldn’t want to speak about it again and she knew that she needed to tell Chris the story. John held Darby’s hand and gently squeezed, letting her know she had his support as she continued with the details of that day.

“We had a green light and pulled out into the intersection, but the traffic just stopped and we were hung up in the middle. Mallory tried moving, tried to find a way out of the line of oncoming traffic, but there was no place to go. At first, we were okay because nothing was coming our way, but then we saw a truck heading straight at us. He never slowed down or tried to move over. He had a green light and he just barrelled through the intersection and slammed into us.” With those words the dam broke and Darby began to cry. Chris reached up using his thumb to wipe them away. 

Chris didn’t push Darby to continue talking, he let her cry. But his tender touch and gesture to wipe away the tears, that was to let her know he cared. Everything that Darby was saying was swirling around in his head like a tornado. The fact that Mallory had taken the legal steps to add his name to the birth certificate meant that she had done it without provocation from him. She hadn’t received notification from his attorney yet. It meant she had done it because she had been trying to offer an olive branch and fix their relationship. That thought squeezed his heart and brought on more pain.

As he tried to reconcile his feelings, Darby’s sobs began to subside and he could tell she wanted to say something more. He wasn’t sure he could take any other revelations, but if Darby needed to say something, the least he could do was listen. Sure enough, as she blew her nose and cleared her throat, she finished her story.

“Mallory knew the truck was going to hit us. Hell, we both knew, but we couldn’t do anything about it. It’s important that you know she went quick, Chris. The impact was sudden and hard, she was killed instantly and didn’t suffer.” The tears began to stream down Darby’s face again. “I know that’s painful to hear, but I didn’t want you to think she laid there and wondered if anyone would help her.”

The realization of everything Darby had said finally sunk in. Chris let out a deep breath and was overtaken by emotion. He began to cry quietly, his head dropping to his hands to hide his face from Mallory’s best friends. The only indication that his crying had gotten stronger was due to the shaking of his shoulders, the sobs were stifled.

“Chris, despite everything Mallory loved you. John can give you the name of the attorney we visited with and you can call him. He knows everything and is aware you’re Henry’s father. John and I want you to have custody of him because Mallory would want that.”

Chris looked up, his eyes were puffy and red-rimmed from crying. “Thank you, I appreciate that. Did John tell you that I told Henry today that I’m his father?”

Darby shook her head and looked back at her husband for confirmation. John nodded and looked back at Chris, allowing him to continue with his story.

“He didn’t believe me at first, said I was lying. He came around a little and we talked about what happened and why I didn’t know about him. He asked why Mallory never reached out.” Chris diverted his gaze from Darby to the window just over John’s shoulder. Thinking he could detach himself by staring into the distance. “He asked if she was ashamed of him. I told him that Mallory loved him with every piece of her and she was afraid I wouldn’t believe her. Right or wrong, I don’t want him to hate his mother. But he asked me if I did hate her and I had to admit that I didn’t hate her, but I still love her.”

Darby nestled back down in the bed, all of the emotion in the conversation had zapped her energy. Chris watched as John took the time to take care of his wife and kiss her on the top of her head. It made him wish that he was able to do that to Mallory. It made him wish she had survived the accident and no matter what condition she was in, he would’ve taken care of her. 

Chris stood from his chair and extended his hand to John. “I should go, Darby’s tired and I left Henry with my mom. I’m scared of what she’s done with him already.” Chris let out a laugh. “She’s been so excited to meet him and spend time with him.”

Chris then moved to kiss Darby’s forehead, again. “Thank you, Darby. I know telling me the truth about what happened took its toll on you, but I appreciate that you did it. The guilt I was feeling and the guilt Henry was feeling, we needed this.”

“I know,” Darby said quietly. “I know.”

Chris turned and exited the room and began walking out of the ICU hallway. He was a little more with it than he had been when he entered the hall, a few hours ago. He signed the guestbook to indicate he was leaving and provided the duty nurse with the guest badge before making his way back towards the elevator bank.

~*~

Chris opened the front door and noticed the house was quiet. His mom’s rental car was still in the driveway so he knew she hadn’t taken off with Henry. He quietly closed the front door and began walking towards the kitchen when he heard faint voices. He realized his mom and Henry were sitting on the floor of the family room in front of the coffee table. Chris leaned against the counter, crossing his legs and his arms, deciding to listen in on the conversation between the two of them to see what he could glean from their interactions.

“This is from when mom took me to the zoo,” Henry proclaimed. Chris realized Henry was showing off family albums and his mom was looking at photos of his son that he had not even seen yet. “She said I tried to feed my ice cream to the giraffes. They were my favorites back then before I decided I liked penguins.”

“Your mom was so pretty, Henry. She looks so happy with you, her face is all lit up,” Lisa commented with reverence as she looked at the picture.

“Yeah, she was pretty,” his voice was quiet as he said the words. “I’m really going to miss her. She was my best friend.”

Lisa put her arm around Henry’s shoulder. “I know, but remember she will always be here.” Lisa pointed to Henry’s heart. “We’ll make sure we keep her memory alive for you. I know your dad will feel that way, too.”

“Am I like him?”

Lisa tossed her head back and started to laugh. “Oh, you are so much like him. In just the little bit of time I’ve spent with you, I can tell you are just like him.” Lisa reached over to smooth down Henry’s hair. “You look like your dad. I see a lot of you mom in you, but you definitely have your dad’s eyes.”

“Mom used to tell me that. She said that my dad had the most beautiful eyes ever. The prettiest blue, but that sometimes they would look green in a certain light, but they always held a woman’s attention. She told me that it would get me in trouble one day.” Henry started to laugh and Chris had to fight to keep from laughing himself.

Chris remembered that Mallory had always had a thing for his eyes. She’d admired other parts of him, but she would stare into his eyes and lose herself. Even when they would argue. It was why they’d sometimes fought without looking at one another, Mallory had known she couldn’t win if she had to look at him.

“Well, she was right about that. Your dad will have to keep watch on you and probably will have to beat the girls off with a stick!”

“He has girls following him around doesn’t he?” Henry asked innocently. “Because he’s a movie star and all, right?”

Lisa had to be careful of how she answered this question. She took a minute to gather her thoughts and then told Henry the truth. “There are a lot of women who think your dad is very handsome. So, yes, they follow him around and want to take his picture because of that. Some of them like him because he has money and they want that plus they think he is handsome.” Lisa reached over and smoothed Henry’s hair again. She just couldn’t get over how much he looked like Chris. It made her think back to when Chris was little and her memories flooded back into her mind.

“Not many of those women know that your dad is a caring and wonderful guy. Your dad is nice to his fans but he keeps his distance and he’ll want to keep you out of that spotlight. He doesn’t want that kind of attention for you and believe me, when people find out he has a handsome son, they will want to know everything about you.”

“I don’t want any attention, Mimi.” It was the first time Henry had used the term of endearment and Lisa’s heart almost exploded. “I just want to be Henry and that’s all.”

“We’ll do everything we can to make that happen.”

“Do I have to change my name?”

Lisa was not sure how to answer this one, she hadn’t been prepared for this round of questioning. “Um, I don’t know what you mean.” She elected to go with playing dumb to see if it could buy her some time to formulate an answer.

“My last name is Turner, that was mom’s last name because I didn’t have a dad. Now that I do, will I have to change my last name to Evans?”

“I think you need to talk to your dad about that. I mean, do you want to change your name?”

Henry turned from looking at Lisa and stared down at a photograph of him with his mother. He ran his fingers over the image of Mallory. “I want to keep my mom’s name, but I don’t want to make Chris mad.”

Lisa put her arm around Henry and pulled him to her side. “I don’t think you would make him mad if you told him that. He’s not going to push you into anything to make you uncomfortable.” Lisa pushed herself away from Henry for a moment and looked down at him. “As much as you’re getting used to having a dad, he’s getting used to having a son. So the two of you are bound to make some mistakes while you figure it all out. Just be patient with each other.”

Chris decided this might be a good time to make himself known. He pushed himself off the counter and moved toward the door so he could make some noise and appear as if he just walked in. He was touched by the advice and conversation between his mother and his son. He hoped that Henry was finally becoming comfortable with the idea of having an extended family.

Chris cleared his throat and entered the room, “So, are you two getting along alright?”

Lisa quickly turned around, “Chris, we didn’t hear you come in. How’s Darby doing?” Lisa began to get up from her seated position on the floor.

“Don’t get up, Ma. I don’t want to interrupt whatever you and Henry are doing.” He looked over and gave Henry a smile and noticed his son was smiling back at him. It warmed his heart to think that he might be making some headway with the boy at this point. “Um, Darby’s going to be okay. She’s hurt pretty bad, but she’s getting better and stronger.” Chris didn’t want to say much, knowing it would be hard for Henry to hear about her injuries and realize his mom didn’t make it out of the car. “I’ll leave you two alone, I think I’ll go upstairs for a bit.”

Chris turned and started to walk out of the room, electing to leave Henry and his mom alone. He would need to spend some time with Henry to let him know that the wreck wasn’t his fault. But he didn’t want to pull him away from bonding with his grandmother to have that conversation. It was something that could be done later. Instead, he needed to wrap his head around what Darby had told him and come to terms with what it all meant.

As he started to leave the room, his mom’s voice stopped him. “Did Darby give you the answer you were looking for?”

“Yeah, she did.”


	14. Epilogue

Late May  
Boston, MA  
6 Years Later

Chris walked into the cemetery and sat down next to the headstone. Mallory was buried on a hill overlooking the rest of the cemetery and it was peaceful and calm up there. The row of old oak trees behind her resting place gave a break from the wind and from the noise of the surrounding traffic. After all, the cemetery was in the middle of town and not out in a remote area of Concord, Massachusetts. 

Chris sat in silence for a few minutes before he began to speak, “I know it’s been awhile since I’ve been out here to visit. I’m sorry about that, but I’ve had to work through a lot of anger and pain. I had so many when we buried you, love and hate being the two strongest ones. I tried to bury my emotions that day and do nothing but focus on Henry and what he needed. It worked for a little bit, but eventually, it boiled over and we both ended up needing counseling over it. He thought I smothered him and I thought I could never love him enough. Funny how that works out, eh?”

Chris nervously plucked at the grass nearby, he didn’t know what to do with himself as he sat there talking to a headstone. Surely, if anyone saw him or heard him, they would want to call the mental ward on him. But he didn’t care, he had to do this. He had to get his feelings out and he figured if Mallory was going to hear him it would be here.

“We had a bumpy road, Henry and me. We argued about everything, in the beginning. Okay, maybe argue is the wrong word, I think he was pushing to see where his boundaries were. I went easy on him, at first. I felt bad, you know. Filming Civil War in Atlanta helped a lot, but he wasn’t happy when I moved him to Boston. I took a year off and didn’t make any movies and that gave me plenty of time to spend with him. Things started to get better after that.”

Chris let out a deep sigh. Talking to Mallory like this was harder than he had expected it to be, but his therapist had told him he would find it cathartic. So, he would keep at it until he got everything out. No matter how long or it took or how hard it would be.

“I know you would be proud of him, I mean, I know how proud I am so you would be over the moon. He’s graduating high school today and has a full scholarship to Boston College. Henry wants to be a Marine Biologist and I blame you for getting him hooked on penguins at that aquarium program. I tried to talk him into being an astronaut, but he said he wanted to do this. So, I’m encouraging him, but you know I’m really proud of him. He’s smart and a handsome kid, the girls love him and as mom predicted, I have to beat them off him with a stick.”

Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. He leaned over and stuck the ring into the ground at the base of Mallory’s headstone so the diamond was sticking out of the ground as if it were on display. 

“I’ve held onto that ring for years as if I hoped I would wake up one day and you would be standing at the front door waiting for me. But I knew you were never coming back and I just couldn’t let you go. Henry and I have talked about that a lot over the last few years and he’s told me I need to move on. He told me you wouldn’t be mad if I did and that you’d understand. I hope he’s right because that’s one of the reasons I’m here.”

Chris dusted off the dirt from his hands and sat back to stare out over the cemetery. “I met someone two years ago, she runs a software company. I met her through some friends of mine and we became friends, I told her that I was still in love with you and I couldn’t do a relationship, it wasn’t fair. She accepted that and we just hung out and got drinks once in awhile. Her husband died a few years ago so she knew what I was going through. But we started getting close in the last six months or so and I realized I have feelings for her. Honestly, she feels the same way toward me and we want to give it a go, but I feel like I need you to be okay with it. I know that probably sounds ridiculous after all these years. I guess I just want there to be some sort of positive closure. Some sign that you approve of how I raised Henry and you’re okay if I move on.”

Chris sat in silence for a few minutes, knowing that what he was saying was ridiculous. There was no way she was going to be able to show him some sign. Deep down he knew that, but it didn’t stop him from hoping. He finally stood up and dusted off his pants and took a deep breath. He turned and placed his hand on the top of her headstone and closed his eyes.

“I’ll never stop loving you, no matter what. I’ve told Henry that as well. I’m sorry, Mallory, for everything and one day I hope you’ll forgive me.”  
As Chris opened his eyes, he noticed that a Cardinal had landed on top of her headstone and was just looking up at him. In that instance, he had his answer. Mallory had forgiven him and told him he could move on.


End file.
